Jamaican referee Daneon Parchment, a certified user of the video assistant referee (VAR) technology, and a shortlisted official for the FIFA World Cup later this year, thinks the technology can be utilised at the local level.

Parchment, who recently returned from a FIFA VAR seminar in Arlington, Texas, where the invited officials were exposed to new technologies, is back on the road as he has been assigned to two Concacaf Champions Cup games in February.

He described the seminar as an eye-opener and believes the technology, which he described as good for the sport, would prove useful if employed at the local level. Parchment pointed out that with the prevalence of recording devices at games, errors by match officials could go viral in minutes, and argued that the use of VAR would eliminate this.

“We see even in our Jamaica Premier League (JPL) competition on a weekly basis, we see so many recording of errors go viral with situations that would need VAR to correct it, so I think it would be good for the game and I think also the JPL would need VAR, because we are not perfect.”

Parchment, who is head of the Physical Education Department at Cedric Titus High School in Clark’s Town, Trelawny, however, pointed out there were few venues in the island that would be able to accommodate VAR and the numbers of cameras that would be required.

“The referee has only a (fraction of a second) to see something and to make a decision, and as the video match officials, who are sitting in the VAR room, we have between 20 to 30 cameras for a FIFA game and in Concacaf Gold Cup for example we have 15 to 28 cameras”.

He shared that up to recently, Jamaican football organisers had started communications with Concacaf and FIFA about the use of VAR for local games but said the talks broke off and were never renewed.

Meanwhile, the veteran FIFA official, who was selected for the Olympics in Paris in 2024, said the seminar was held for referees that were shortlisted in the Concacaf region but added that another cut would be made before the final list for the World Cup was announced.

Regardless of whether he makes the cut for the World Cup, Parchment said he learned a lot at the seminar.

“With the new materials, and what FIFA is expecting, the line that they have set and for us to operate it will make decision making clearer,” said Parchment, who was first selected for VAR training in 2019.

He underwent initial training in Florida before a second round of training in Costa Rica in 2021 when he received certification from FIFA.

Parchment underlined that while his role in the VAR booth does not require any particular ability with the computer, it bears the burden of perfection, as far as decision-making in concerned.

“I have no special computer skills but I am able to do the basics,” Parchment said.

“Its all about analysing clips, using proper considerations to make the best decision on the field of play. So when you are video match official, when the referee make mistakes on the field, we who have the benefit of replay from many angles, we are not allowed to make the same mistake,” Parchment added.

“Because you are looking at several cameras with different angles, and that can help the referee to have another opportunity to see the error that was made, and it is our duty to give him that opportunity to see it again and then for him to make the best decision for the game.”

A referee is able to review a decision through the video assistant referee (VAR) system. 

PARCHMENT…we see even in our Jamaica Premier League (JPL) competition on a weekly basis, we see so many recording of errors go viral with situations that would need VAR to correct it.