Welcoming a Fair and Attractive Liga 2 with VAR

Kapanlagi.com - An unhappy expression was evident on Widyantoro's face after the referee blew the long whistle at the match between Persiraja Banda Aceh and FC Bekasi City. The coach of the team nicknamed Kuda Hitam was doubly disappointed in that match.

The two teams met at Harapan Bangsa Stadium, Aceh in November 2024. They fought in the week 12 match of Pegadaian Liga 2 2024/2025.

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In this match, FC Bekasi City, as the visiting team, suffered a defeat with a score of 2-1. In this match, FC Bekasi City actually took the lead first through a quick goal by John Cley in the ninth minute. However, the home team managed to turn the tables thanks to an own goal by Mochamad Jody Kurniady in the 22nd minute and a goal by Habil Abdillah in the 81st minute.

This defeat was not well received by Widyantoro as the coach of FC Bekasi City. According to him, his team was disadvantaged by the referee in this match as they were not awarded two penalties that could have changed the course of the game.

At that moment, Bekasi City's striker, Mosquito, was brought down by a Persiraja defender in the penalty box but no penalty was given. Then in the second half, Taufik's shot clearly hit the hand of Persiraja defender Aed Tri Oka in the penalty box, yet the referee again let the incident go.

"I am confused with the referee's leadership today. Our player was obstructed in the penalty box in front of the referee, and then a handball was also ignored," complained Widyantoro at the post-match press conference.

1. Justice Through Technology

Widyantoro's complaint is actually not new in the world of football. Almost every week and in almost every competition around the world, there are complaints about the leadership of referees.

However, over time, football continues to innovate. Technological advancements are applied to help make matches fairer and minimize cheating, such as goal line technology and the latest implementation of VAR.

VAR or Video Assistant Referee is the latest breakthrough used by FIFA to help facilitate the course of the match. This technology was first introduced on a large scale at the 2018 World Cup and has since been adopted in competitions worldwide.

VAR is typically used to reevaluate four incidents during a match. The first is the validity of a goal, especially if there is a foul or offside during the goal process.

The second incident is to review fouls that could potentially result in a penalty. The third incident is to review a direct red card issued by the referee, and the last is to reevaluate the identity or recipient of sanctions that have not been or have already been given by the referee.

2. Pegadaian Liga 2 Looks Towards the Era of Technology

Since being widely introduced at the 2018 World Cup, VAR technology has begun to be adopted worldwide. Indonesia has also adopted this cutting-edge technology.

In Indonesia, VAR was first used when Indonesia hosted the U-17 World Cup 2023. A year later, PT Liga Indonesia Baru as the competition operator implemented the technology in Liga 1.

The implementation of VAR in Liga 1 received a positive response. Although it is still not perfect, this technology has helped several clubs achieve fair decisions in matches.

For example, when VAR was first used in Liga 1 during the match between Persib Bandung and Bali United. In that match, Kadek Agung committed a foul against David Da Silva in the penalty area, but initially, referee Heru Cahyono continued the match.

However, VAR at that time recommended the referee to review the incident. After a VAR check, Heru Cahyono finally clearly saw the foul incident and awarded a penalty to Persib.

Seeing the positive impact that VAR offers in Liga 1 has made PT Liga Indonesia Baru want to implement this technology in other competitions. Closest, the Pegadaian Liga 2 is targeted to use this technology in the upcoming 2025/2026 season.

"The VAR is not for this season in Liga 2. Chairman (PSSI, Erick Thohir) requested that VAR be prepared as soon as possible. "Next season we are committed to introducing VAR," said the President Director of PT Liga Indonesia Baru, Ferry Paulus.

With the implementation of VAR for the Pegadaian Liga 2 2025/2026, it is hoped that incidents like those experienced by FC Bekasi City when facing Persiraja Banda Aceh can be minimized. This way, every team that feels aggrieved can achieve justice in every match.

By minimizing existing incidents, Pegadaian Liga 2 can provide more entertaining matches, thus increasing public interest in this competition day by day.

Writer: Serafin Unus Pasi

(kly/tmi)