THE UEFA'S ADDITIONAL ASSISTANT REFEREE SYSTEM IN MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL

     The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will implement the additional assistant referee (AAR) system, beginning with the quarter-finals of the 2014 Malaysia Cup.
    FAM Referees Committee chairman Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz said the system
which was adopted from  UEFA, will be fully implemented in the Malaysian League
(M-League), early next year.
    "We will implement this system from the middle of this year in stages,
beginning with several friendly matches and use it fully from next year," 
he told reporters after opening a course on the system organised by FAM, here,
today.
    Through the implementation of the system, Astaman said there will be two
additional assistant referees, joining the fourth officials along with the
referee and two assistant referees.
    They would be positioned alongside each goal line to watch for incidents in
the penalty area and help the match referee in
taking decisions, he said. 
    UEFA is currently using the system in the European club competition after it
was firstly introduced at the 2012 European Football Championship (Euro 2012).
    "With the cost for each set of  'Radio Communication System' and 'Electronic
Flag' estimated at around RM15,000, we will need at least 15 sets to ensure full
implementation in the M-League (in 2015)," said 
Astaman.
    On another note, he said the committee had received six official
complaints about poor refereeing, out of 415 games in the M-League so far.
    "Of the six, two have basis for action to be taken against the referees.
    "Apart from this, action has been taken against seven referees and assistant
referees based on the reports fo match comissioners," he said.
    Some 30 local referees joined the two-day course which
will be conducted by six instructors namely Hugh Dallas, Werner Helsen (both
from UEFA referees committee) beside four local instructors -- Subkhidin Mohd
Salleh, Mohammad Radzali Yaacob, Nasaruddin Ishak and Ahmad Khalidi Supian.
    -- BERNAMA