President of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), Sanni Zubair, has hinted that plans are ongoing to deploy video assistant referees (VAR) in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) from the incoming 2023/24 season.
The new season kicks off on Saturday with the opening fixture between 3SC and Plateau United in Ibadan.
Zubair noted that the introduction of VAR will further enhance the performance of the referees, even now that most of the matches in the league will be streamed with newly procured AI cameras.
FACTUAL NAIJA NEWS recalls that during the elective congress of the NRA which produced Zubairu as the President of the body in April, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, announced that the body will build VARs in selected regional stadiums across the country, a proposal the NRA is already anticipating its implementation.
Zubair, a retired FIFA-badged referee also raised hopes about improved officiating in the incoming season.