NEW DELHI: The upcoming FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022, scheduled to be held in India, will see the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology making its debut in the age-group event, the world football governing body announced on Tuesday.
The prestigious tournament will take place in Bhubaneswar, Goa and Navi Mumbai from October 11-30.
"The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will give us important and significant insights into the qualities of the match officials who have been appointed. We are very happy that also for the first time, VAR technology will be used at a FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, " said FIFA's Head of Women Refereeing Kari Seitz, in a statement.
"This event will be another great opportunity to showcase the skills of the appointed VARs and continue the development of our female VARs as part of the Road to Australia/New Zealand 2023 project, " she added.
Notably, this will be the second time the VAR technology will be used in India, the first one being from the quarterfinal stage of the AFC Women's Asian Cup that the country hosted in January-February this year.
Meanwhile, the FIFA Referees Committee officially announced the lists of the match officials who have been appointed to officiate at the upcoming tournament. A total of 14 women referees, 28 women assistant referees, three support referees and 16 video match officials will take charge of the matches.
"We are delighted that the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is returning after a four-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are really looking forward to this important competition in India taking place in October. For the match officials, of course, it's another big stage in the preparation of the potential candidates for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, " said the chairman of the FIFA's Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina.
"As already mentioned on several occasions and following appointments of referees for other FIFA competitions, we've always worked aiming for uniformity and consistency in decision-making. We are convinced that the appointed match officials can gain useful experience with a view to the biggest women's football competition in the world, the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand next year, " he added.