In a historic moment for football in the East African region, it has been announced that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be officially used in next year's Africa Cup of Nations for domestic players (CHAN)
This announcement comes a few days before the tournament, which will take place from February 1 to 28, 2025. This will be the second time that Tanzania will host the use of this technology, which has been used in major competitions such as the Champions League of Africa since the semi-finals in 2021, and also in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2023
VAR was previously witnessed in the finals of the U17 Nations Cup held in 2019 at the Azam Complex Stadium. The Benjamini Mkapa stadium for mainland Tanzania and Amaan in Zanzibar will have a VAR system, while the equipment for this technology is expected to arrive soon to be put in the final preparations before the competition starts
Other stadiums that are expected to be fitted with the system apart from those in Tanzania include Namboole in Uganda, Nyayo and Kasarani in Kenya
This will be the first time for this region of East Africa to host the championship together. Speaking about that, CAF Manager for the CHAN tournament, Serge Assume said that the VAR equipment will be completed and tested before the tournament starts
VAR technology will help improve the quality of referees' decisions, especially in situations that require quick and accurate decisions
It is used in the four main aspects of the game, which are the decision of the goal, the decision of the penalty, direct red cards, revealing the mistakes
