Yallop: it’s VAR from OK
Women ‘not treated same’
Matildas midfielder and ALeague star Tameka Yallop is “frustrated” at the lack of VAR in the women’s competition, especially as it is made available to the men’s league.
Yallop, talking after the inaugural Unite Round in Sydney last weekend and just days before the league was rocked by the news that the organising body had been forced to restructure and make mass redundancies, said it was unfair the women were treated differently to the men.
“We are halfway through the season and it’s obvious to say that the officials in the game need help and if that’s through VAR or adding a byline official, I think we need it,” Yallop said.
“It is frustrating that we don’t have the same quality as the men’s game. We need to have what they have as well.
“If they are using VAR, then that’s what our referees need as well. There are no complaints against the referee.
“Women’s football has got to a level where it needs more officiating and the technology is there, so we need to be using it, especially if the men’s league is too.”
The need for VAR was highlighted during Brisbane’s match against the Newcastle Jets.
At the 61st minute mark, the Roar’s Holly McQueen was given a red card and sent from the pitch after a tackle.
The decision had fans in an uproar and was later overturned by the match review panel. Had VAR been available to the referee, McQueen would
never have been sent from the field and Brisbane might not have lost 2-1. VAR was first used in the men’s competition in 2017.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, then APL chief executive Danny Townsend said investment in the technology had been increased to $1.5m for a Hawk-Eye graphics tool that helped broadcasters explain referees’ decisions to those watching at home and at the ground.
As women’s matches have fewer cameras on the ground, normally just one, and are played at different stadiums to the men, it is safe to assume it would require the same, if not more, to roll the technology out across their competition.
A-Leagues commissioner Nick Garcia confirmed it was a costly venture.
“The implications of VAR are significant in terms of venue infrastructure, TV production and technology and are not feasible for the Liberty A-League Women as it stands,” Garcia said.