VAR is applied for the first time, promising a "brain-teasing" match

VHO - On July 28, the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) officially announced that it will apply VAR technology in the final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship between U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia.

VAR technology will be applied in the final match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia (Illustration photo)

This is the first time the VAR system – video assistant referee technology – has been deployed in a U23 level match in Southeast Asia, marking a major step forward in terms of expertise and technology for the region.

According to the AFF announcement, the application of VAR is to ensure absolute fairness in a decisive match. This technology will help referees accurately handle key situations such as controversial goals, offside, direct red cards or serious fouls in the penalty area.

AFF wants to bring the ultimate experience to fans and ensure the spirit of fair-play is enforced at the highest level in the championship match.

The “fiery” final match between U23 Vietnam and host U23 Indonesia will take place at 8:00 p.m. on July 29 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium – a fire pit with a capacity of over 80,000 people in Jakarta. U23 Vietnam is facing the opportunity for a “golden hat-trick” after two consecutive championships in 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile, U23 Indonesia is also determined to take revenge after the bitter defeat in the semi-finals of the 31st SEA Games and the final of the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament.

The appearance of VAR in the final not only increases the drama and professionalism of the tournament but also brings Southeast Asian football up to date with global trends.

Previously, VAR was widely used in the World Cup, Euro, Asian Cup and top European tournaments. Experts assessed that this was a step to standardize technology that Southeast Asian youth tournaments needed to increase prestige and create the premise for further breakthroughs.

The online community is currently "boiling" with the keywords #U23VietNam, #VAR, #FinalU23ASEAN2025, #VietnamIndonesia, #AFFU23Final, while fans of both countries are counting down the hours waiting for the "brain-teasing" battle between the two young forces of regional football. With the presence of VAR, the final match promises to be not only eye-catching but also fair and accurate to every centimeter.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/var-lan-dau-duoc-ap-dung-hua-hen-tran-cau-can-nao-156981.html