Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has said improvements will be made for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for use in the upcoming Malaysia League (M-League) 2025/2026 season after several controversial incidents during its introduction last season.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, acting MFL chief executive officer Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd revealed that two special briefings regarding the system’s improvement were conducted by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in collaboration with representatives from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the International Football Federation (FIFA). He emphasized that this initiative aims to enhance the quality of refereeing ahead of the new season.

“The improvements are not yet in place, but we are aware of it (the issue) because last year was the first time VAR was implemented. So from the issues we identified last year, we will improve it for the new season,” he stated.

Last year, FAM Referees Committee chairman Datuk S. Sivasundaram mentioned that the performance of referees and the implementation of VAR were rated as excellent, with an average of 0.57 ‘On-field Review’ (OFR) per match and an average of 2.27 minutes of added time used for VAR reviews. However, several errors led to criticism, including the suspension of referee Razlan Joffri Ali and a VAR official for two matches following the Super League match between Perak and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).

Despite these controversies, Razlan received praise for his officiating in the 2024-2025 Malaysia Cup final between JDT and Sri Pahang, which JDT won 2-1.

Mohd Shazli added that the MFL is also on the right track to ensure a smooth 2025/2026 M-League season, avoiding scheduling delays similar to those experienced last season. He mentioned that the full schedule for the new M-League season will be announced once key elements, such as the Shopee Cup draw and Asian Champions League (ACL), are finalized.