Effectiveness of Video Assistant Referee Implementation in Indonesian Liga 1: Evidence from Key Match Incidents
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the video assistant referee system in improving the quality of referee decisions during the 2024–2025 Indonesian Liga 1 season, which marked its first full implementation. The research used a descriptive quantitative approach by analyzing 300 critical match incidents drawn from a total of 306 matches. Data were obtained from official match documents, referee reports, operational review logs, and recorded video sequences. Each incident was categorized based on its influence on match outcomes, including decisions related to scoring, penalty actions, direct expulsions, and errors in identifying players. The results showed that the system confirmed the majority of on-field decisions as correct, while 32 decisions were corrected after video review, producing an overall accuracy rate of 89,33%. The analysis also revealed that incidents related to penalty situations were the most frequent, followed by direct expulsions and scoring actions. Review procedures lasted between 1 minute and more than 4 minutes, indicating the need for careful assessments during decisive situations. The study concludes that the video assistant referee system increased fairness, strengthened consistency, and reduced human error, thereby contributing positively to the integrity of the competition.
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Asiabar, M. G., Asiabar, M. G., & Asiabar, A. G. (2025). Examining Legal Challenges of Modern Technologies in Sports Arbitration : A Case Study of VAR in Football. Science Open Preprints, March. https://doi.org/10.14293/PR2199.001551.v1
Chen, R., & Davidson, N. P. (2022). English Premier League manager perceptions of video assistant referee (VAR) decisions during the 2019-2020 season. Soccer & Society, 23(1), 44–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2021.1918680
Filter, A., Olivares-Jabalera, J., Dos’Santos, T., Madruga, M., Lozano, J., Molina, A., Santalla, A., Requena, B., & Loturco, I. (2023). High-intensity Actions in Elite Soccer: Current Status and Future Perspectives. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(8), 535–544. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2013-1661
Firdaus, D. A., Tresna, C., Syaefu, A., Supriatna, C., Ramzar, F. A., Muhammad, L., Nul, F., & Mulyana, A. (2024). Dampak VAR Terhadap Keputusan Wasit dan Kualitas Pertandingan Sepak Bola. 4.
Imaddudin, S., Astuti, I., & Ruhama, S. (2025). Studi Sentimen Masyarakat terhadap PSSI di Era Erick Thohir menggunakan Algoritma Support Vector Machine ( SVM ) pada Media Sosial X. 1(8), 1003–1013.
Irawan, Y. B., Setiawan, A., Djajadikerta, H., Manajemen, M., Ekonomi, F., Parahyangan, U. K., & Bandung, K. (2025). Dampak Teknologi VAR dalam Sepak Bola. 5(1), 7–13. https://doi.org/10.54259/satesi.v5i1.3605
Kim, Chang Hyun, Lee, Kyung Yul, & Kwon, Youngsun. (2025). Does VAR reduce referee bias? Causal evidence from global professional football leagues. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 17479541251391396. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541251391395
Li, Ming, Wang, Xing, & Zhang, Shaoliang. (2024). The effect of video assistant referee (VAR) on match performance in elite football: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 17543371241254596. https://doi.org/10.1177/17543371241254596
Madsen, A. G., & Johnsen, A. R. E. W. (2025). The Impact of VAR on Referee Decision-Making: A Difference-in-Difference Analysis of the English Premier League.
Pizzera, A., Laborde, S., Lahey, J., & Wahl, P. (2022). Influence of physical and psychological stress on decision-making performance of soccer referees. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(18), 2037–2046. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2022.2127516
Samuel, R. D., Tenenbaum, G., & Galily, Y. (2021). An integrated conceptual framework of decision-making in soccer refereeing. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 19(5), 738–760. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2020.1766539
Spitz, J., Wagemans, J., Memmert, D., Williams, A. M., & Helsen, W. F. (2021). Video assistant referees (VAR): The impact of technology on decision making in association football referees. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(2), 147–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1809163
Vater, C., Schnyder, U., & Müller, D. (2024). That was a foul! How viewing angles, viewing distances, and visualization methods influence football referees’ decision-making. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research, 54(3), 476–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-024-00947-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/tegar.v9i1.93140
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