Kuala lumpur: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Referees Unit has, based on its comprehensive analysis, rated the performance of the men in black in the 2024/2025 Malaysia League (M-League) season as excellent. FAM deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram highlighted that this assessment is derived from reports by the Referee Assessors, complaints from teams, and match video analysis, which serve as benchmarks for determining referees’ performances across the Super League, Malaysia Cup, and FA Cup competitions.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the performances of referees in the 2024/2025 M-League season have been rated as excellent compared to the 2023/2024 season. Last season, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was employed in 208 matches. From these, FAM received only five official complaints, with four from Super League matches and one from a Malaysia Cup game.

Sivasundaram, also the FAM Referees Committee chairman, stated that every incident was accurately reviewed by the VAR officials, achieving excellent compliance with the VAR Protocol. Out of the 208 matches, VAR officials conducted 1,255 reviews, excluding silent checks. Among these, 101 involved ‘On Field Review’ (OFR).

He also mentioned that VAR technology did not disrupt the flow of games, with the average time added on by VAR being lower at 1.96 minutes compared to 4.70 minutes by referees. Data analysis revealed that 647 goals were scored last year, all of which were verified by VAR officials before confirmation.

Sivasundaram noted that the use of VAR last season indicated a positive trend, evidenced by the reduced number of complaints and improved accuracy of referees’ decisions. Complaints in the 2024/2025 season fell to 2.24 per cent compared to 4.15 per cent the previous season, while accuracy of referees’ on-field decisions increased to 98.07 per cent from 88.76 per cent the previous season.

For the record, FAM is the sole football governing body in Southeast Asia utilizing VAR technology for all 208 domestic matches in the Super League, Malaysia Cup, FA Cup, and Challenge Cup (two matches).