A document analysis of VAR implementation and referee decision-making in Malaysian professional football

Widiya Habibah Shamsuri; Muhammad Faizal Kutip; Adanan Jamal; Nurul Ain Md Desa

doi:10.61688/jev.v7i1.506

Authors

Widiya Habibah Shamsuri Football Association of Malaysia
Muhammad Faizal Kutip Universiti Teknologi MARA
Adanan Jamal Unversiti Teknologi MARA
Nurul Ain Md Desa Universiti Teknologi MARA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61688/jev.v7i1.506

Keywords:

Video Assistant Referee (VAR), decision making, laws of the game

Abstract

Football is one of the most widely followed sports in the world, and decisions made by referees have

a direct influence on match results, perceptions of fairness, and the credibility of officiating. The Video

Assistant Referee (VAR) system was introduced to improve decision-making accuracy and fairness

by assisting referees in cases of clear and obvious errors. However, despite its implementation in

Malaysian professional football, concerns persist regarding decision consistency, referee authority,

and the effectiveness of VAR procedures. This study aims to examine VAR implementation in

Malaysian professional football by analysing official documents such as match reports, VAR records,

regulations, and governing guidelines. The analysis focuses exclusively on secondary data sources,

including official match reports, VAR review records, regulatory documents, and officiating

guidelines related to VAR implementation in Malaysian professional football. This study employs

document analysis as the primary research instrument. The instruments consist of a structured

document analysis checklist and coding framework developed to systematically examine VAR

implementation and referee decision-making in Malaysian professional football. Official match

reports issued by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 Malaysia League

seasons, which typically range from 2 to 5 pages per match and provide formal records of match

incidents, disciplinary actions, and referee decisions. In addition, VAR review records and post-match

referee assessment reports produced by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) were examined

to evaluate decision outcomes, review processes, and referee performance feedback. Data analysis in

this study involves a systematic review of selected documents related to VAR implementation and

referee decision-making in Malaysian professional football. Official match reports, VAR records,

referee assessment reports, and competition regulations are analysed using a structured document

analysis checklist and coding framework based on the Laws of the Game and VAR protocol. VAR

incidents are coded according to incident type, review procedure, nature of decision, and final

outcome, allowing patterns to be identified and decision consistency and procedural alignment to be

evaluated.

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