Video Assistant Referees in Brazilian Soccer League Are Scrapped Due to Elevated Cost

02/16/2018 - 11h43

The bill for video assistant referees (VAR) presented by the Brazilian Confederation of Football (CBF) that League A soccer teams would have to pay is more expensive than what other nations currently pay (or will start paying in 2018).

In 2017, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the United States all fully implemented VAR technology in their local leagues. The Netherlands used video assistant referees for their national cup, while Australia has tested them in occasional games.

According to the CBF, implementing VARs in all Brazilian Series A stadiums to analyze plays would cost a total of R$ 20 million (US$ 6.2 million), or R$ 1 million (US$ 310 thousand) per team. Team managers vetoed the deployment of the technology in 2018, claiming the cost was too high.

When it comes to the costs, Spain's are closest to Brazil's. The country will begin to implement the video analysis system in its 2018/2019 season, after the World Cup.

Specialists who preferred to remain anonymous said they were not surprised by VAR costs in Brazil.

One of the reasons that VAR costs in Brazil would be so elevated has to do with the size of the country. The country is too large for a main video center connected to each of the Series A stadiums via fiber optic cables.

Cabling is fundamental when it comes to quickly streaming the images and avoiding lags when analyzing replays.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

Read the article in the original language

	Bruno Santos/Folhapress
	Implementing VARs in all Brazilian Series A stadiums to analyze plays would cost a total of R$ 20 million