Umid Akhmadjanov, Vice-President of the Uzbekistan Football Association/President of the National Olympic Committee, met with managing director of Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd Ben Crossing to introduce a system of video replays at Uzbekistan championship matches.
“Uzbekistan is very fond of football. We are trying to keep up with modern technologies, to develop our football, and, in particular, the refereeing system. And, of course, the VAR system and its implementation in our football is the most pressing issue we are facing today. We are pleased to see you as a specialist who can help us in this matter,” said Akhmadjanov.
Ben Crossing, in turn, said that his company works with many countries, and will only be glad to cooperate with Uzbekistan.
“The procedure for introducing a VAR system takes 4 to 8 months. Today, this system is already operating in the national championships of Germany, Italy, Spain and other European leagues. The pricing policy depends on the terms of the agreement. For example, if you attract local companies to integrate this system, it is cheaper. If a five-year contract is concluded, then you will be given offers in more favorable terms,” he said.
According to Mr. Crossing, he plans to visit one of the Uzbek stadiums and familiarize himself with the conditions created so as to visually know which proposals can be submitted to the Uzbekistan Football Association.
The parties also discussed a number of other issues regarding the VAR system. In particular, Umid Akhmadjanov asked Ben Crossing to provide a detailed commercial proposal with various options, estimates for the implementation of the VAR system and to assist in conducting VAR-training in Uzbekistan.
The VAR system has proven itself useful at the Confederations Cup in 2017, where it worked in test mode and at the 2018 World Cup this summer. At the world championship in Russia in 62 matches, the arbitrators resorted to using this system 19 times. At the same time, in 16 cases, VAR helped them to change the decisions from incorrect to correct, and three more times - they confirmed their correct interpretation of the episode.
The accuracy of the decisions of judges using VAR increased to 99.32%. These figures are the most significant indicator of the effective operation of this system. In addition, the forthcoming Asian Cup 2019 in the United Arab Emirates will also use the video replay system.
