THE Malaysian Football League (MFL) has pledged to enhance the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for the upcoming 2025-2026 M-League season, following a debut year marked by both praise and controversy.
While Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) referees’ committee chairman Datuk S. Sivasundaram described the inaugural season of VAR as “excellent” — pointing to an average of 0.57 on-field reviews per match and a review duration of just 2.27 minutes — several high-profile incidents led to public criticism and disciplinary action.
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One of the most talked-about moments came during a Super League clash between Perak and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), which resulted in referee Razlan Joffri Ali and a VAR official being suspended for two matches and ordered to undergo retraining.
In response, MFL acting chief executive officer Shazli Shaik said the league is taking proactive steps to improve the system moving forward, New Straits Times reported.
“To date, we’ve conducted two VAR briefing and improvement sessions. FIFA and AFC representatives also took part in these sessions,” he was quoted as saying.
“Last season was our first using VAR, and we’ve noted the shortcomings. We’re working to implement those corrections for the upcoming season.”
Shazli also confirmed that the full fixture list for the 2025-26 M-League campaign will be announced on Friday.
On the regional front, Malaysia will have Johor Darul Ta’zim and Selangor representing the country in the Asean Club Championship. JDT, the reigning Super League champions, are also set to compete in the Asian Champions League (ACL) Elite, while Selangor will feature in the ACL2 tier.
Meanwhile, newly promoted Super League side Immigration FC has been given until Saturday to confirm their home venue ahead of their debut in the top flight.
