CAF To Introduce Video Assistant Referee At The 2019 AFCON

The 2018 World Cup was an opportunity for the world to see how the video assistant referee (VAR) can improve professional football. Despite the criticisms the technology received, CAF has announced that it will be used in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

(Photo: Sporting News)

Vanguard reports that the federation made the decision during a meeting in Niamey, Niger Republic. While this will be the first time VAR will be used in an AFCON tournament, it won’t be the first time it’s used in African football.

It was first used in Africa at the quarter-final stage of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco. Following the trials, CAF resolved to adopt it in the finals of both the Champions League and Confederation Cup.

That the federation now wants to use it in Africa’s biggest football tournament can only mean that the technology worked well enough in the three competitions. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will be taking place in Egypt from June 7 to June 30.