Training courses for VAR specialists have started in Ukraine

Given the clubs' desire to help reduce the number of mistakes on the pitch by match officials, which is reflected in their willingness to purchase enough VAR vans to cover all Ukrainian Premier League matches, it was decided to train a corresponding number of Ukrainian referees, as this technology requires not only expensive equipment but also qualified and FIFA-certified human resources.

Photo: P. Kubanov

The training course started in June and will last until the end of September. It can be divided into two stages. The first is autonomous work and the second is work at friendly matches, matches of the preliminary stages of the Ukrainian Cup, PFL or youth PL competitions. This latter stage can be considered a kind of exam, with video highlights uploaded to a special FIFA platform as proof of completion.

Autonomous work involves several sub-stages:

1. Familiarisation with the system.

2. Working with simple and complex clips. These videos were created from the materials of previous games with VAR. These are videos from at least six cameras, which must be properly synchronised during viewing so that the "students" learn how to prepare material for viewing by field referees, choose the right angles (cameras), and interact with replay operators. At these stages, only video technical officials (referee, assistant referee and VAR observer) and technical staff (replay operators) are trained.

3. Work on the pitch and in the van. At these stages, the referees are connected to the video technical officials of the match, who will then be able to work with this technology on the pitch. In addition to the VAR van, a mobile television station (MTS) with at least six cameras is used to record what is happening on the pitch. On the pitch, young footballers practice: a) situations where the Protocol requires the use of technology; b) short matches during which the above situations "happen" again. These training sessions are filmed and stored in case FIFA wishes to verify and check the compliance of the process with the requirements of the FIFA IAAP Programme (VAR Implementation and Approval Assistance Programme). In addition, the video is used for joint analysis with the referees in the theory lectures immediately following the completion of these field training sessions.

This is the end of the offline training and, as we mentioned earlier, the exam is taken during real matches.

Training takes place in several, so to speak, VAR specialities.

For referees:

- work in the van (VAR referee);

- work in the field with this system (field referee).

Note. The referee can combine both functions or, to begin with, master the function of working only in the field, and later (during other courses) in the van.

For assistants:

- VAR assistant.

For observers:

- VAR observer.

The replay operator is a technical specialist whose main function is to quickly find the moments pointed out by the VAR referee or his assistant. In order to find such situations faster, the video technicians of the match, while watching the game, press the "red button" (make a mark) in cases where they notice an error or something suspicious. Thanks to these marks, replay operators find such a suspicious situation and, at the direction of the VAR referee or his assistant, show it from different cameras (angles) at the right moment, slowing down, zooming in, etc. If there is video evidence, for example, of a clear mistake by a field referee, the technical specialists, together with the referee, prepare material for viewing on the field.

During this year's training course, it is planned to train:

- 9 VAR referees;

- 9 VAR assistants;

- 14 field referees;

- 8 VAR observers;

- 6 replay operators.

Upon completion of the training, we will have the following total number of specialists:

- 21 VAR referees;

- 21 VAR assistants;

- 32 field referees;

- 18 VAR observers;

- 19 replay operators.

This will make it possible to fully use VAR vans at all matches of the Ukrainian top flight, and therefore minimise the number of possible mistakes on the pitch.

Of course, we expect the required number of vans to arrive and be ready as soon as possible, but this is not as quick a process as we would all like (usually it takes three to five months). We currently have three vans available. At the beginning of the championship, one van will be used for training at matches, as we have already mentioned, the preliminary stages of the Cup, PFL or youth PL competitions. That leaves two vehicles that can cover four league matches (July-September). If all stages of the training go according to the planned schedule, the third van will return in October, which will be six matches.