The Football Association of Thailand and Thai League are working together to upgrade the existing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the Southeast Asian country’s top men’s division with support from the FIFA Forward programme.

Beginning 2020, Thailand was the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) country to implement VAR in every domestic tier-1 match. Five years on, The Land of Smiles is one of a small number of FIFA Member Associations (MAs) in Asia to introduce a VAR upgrade.

The system upgrade will use advanced VAR technology (crosshair system) and provide continuous training to enhance refereeing accuracy and consistency in Thai League 1. In turn, it is hoped that ensuring fair and transparent decision-making through accurate and consistent refereeing will build further confidence and trust among stakeholders within the Thai football ecosystem.

Crosshair is the system that many football stakeholders have become accustomed to using since the inception of VAR in 2018. The lines are calibrated before each match by the technology provider to take into account the exact pitch dimensions and conditions on the day. 

The system uses an operator who, with support from the VAR team, manually selects the moment the ball is played, the leading goalscoring coordinate of the attacker and the coordinate of the second-to-last defender closest to their own goal. One attacker line and one offside line are generated and, based on the proximity of each line to the goal line, the offside decision is made by the VAR.

The enhancement of its VAR technology is part of FA Thailand’s long-term strategy to elevate overall standards by aligning Thai football with international best practices, thereby improving refereeing levels and enhancing the league, its reputation and overall growth.

The VAR upgrade will be implemented over the period 10 January 2025 to 31 May 2026, utilising FIFA Forward 2.0 funds totalling USD 488,774.

“FIFA has been supporting the efforts to raise the standard of refereeing in the Thai League for several years now. We have worked closely with the Football Association of Thailand and the Thai League to help the association and the league to attain the necessary qualifications to implement the Video Assistant Referee system in Thai League 1,” explained Sanjeevan Balasingam, FIFA Member Associations Asia & Oceania Regional Director.

“They were among the first few Member Associations in Asia to adopt this technology. The FIFA COVID-19 relief funds were also allocated to support the implementation of VAR in the Thai League back in 2020, and the FIFA Forward funds have been used to equip the FA Thailand headquarters with a centralised Video Operation Room.

“Today, we are extremely pleased to see FA Thailand and the Thai League taking another significant step to enhance and upgrade their existing VAR system. FIFA is proud to support FA Thailand and the League with this enhancement through the Forward Programme. We are committed to continuing our support for FA Thailand and the Thai League as they become one of the first leagues in Asia to implement the advanced VAR crosshair system in their domestic competitions.”

Thailand are pleased to be seen as a pioneer in the region.

“This makes the Thai League one of the first domestic leagues in ASEAN to utilise the VAR crosshair system to assist in officiating, which will be greatly beneficial for Thai football and all stakeholders,” said President of FA Thailand Nualphan Lamsam. "This enhancement will provide more transparency, accuracy, precision and significantly reduce errors that could potentially alter match outcomes.

“As the president of FA Thailand, we would like to thank FIFA for their support through many of their programmes aimed at Member Associations, not only for on-pitch matters but also for long-term development off the field. FA Thailand remains firmly committed to developing football in every aspect together with FIFA."