09-07-2025
Outstanding referees
PETALING JAYA: Refereeing standards in the 2024-2025 Super League season have significantly improved, thanks largely to the extensive use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, says Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram, who also heads the FAM Referees Committee.
According to Sivasundaram, the FAM Referees Unit conducted a detailed evaluation of officiating performances across the Super League, Malaysia Cup, and FA Cup.
The review was drawn from Referee Assessors' reports, team complaints, and match video analyses.
'Referee performances this season were outstanding compared to 2023-2024,' he said.
VAR was used in 208 matches, with only five official complaints recorded – four in the Super League and one in the Malaysia Cup. Sivasundaram highlighted that all reviewed incidents were handled accurately, with referees following VAR protocols effectively.
According to the data, referees conducted 1,255 VAR reviews (excluding silent checks), including 101 On-Field Reviews (OFR).
Impressively, the average additional time caused by VAR stood at only 1.96 minutes, significantly less than the 4.70 minutes added by on-field referees.
'This shows that VAR does not disrupt the flow of the game. A total of 647 goals were scored last season, all verified through VAR,' said Sivasundaram.
'Additionally, 64 penalty goals were also confirmed by VAR checks.'
Crucially, the number of complaints in the 2024-2025 season dropped to 2.24% from 4.15% in the previous season.
On-field decision accuracy also saw a dramatic increase, from 88.76% to an impressive 98.07%.
He highlighted that VAR has not only helped improve decision-making but also elevated the overall standard of refereeing in the league.
Sivasundaram proudly noted that FAM are the only football governing body in South-East Asia to implement VAR across all matches in the Super League, Malaysia Cup, FA Cup, and two Challenge Cup games, totalling 208 matches.
