Damascus, Oct.21 (SANA) Controversy over refereeing has once again taken center stage with the start of the Syrian Premier League, following a previous season marked by widespread debate over referees’ performances in numerous rounds. Refereeing decisions have become the main talking point in many matches.
While most countries around the world rely on video assistant referee (VAR) technology, its absence in Syria continues to leave referees responsible for making decisive calls in critical moments. This exposes them to considerable pressure from fans and administrators, sometimes escalating into verbal abuse, threats and assaults inside stadiums.
Syrian Premier League matches that spark refereeing controversies often witness crowd disturbances and protests against officials’ decisions. These range from abusive chants to fans entering the pitch and assaulting referees, followed by disciplinary measures and financial penalties that may not be sufficient to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Tamam Hamdoun, a refereeing expert and international referee, told SANA that football refereeing in Syria faces difficult circumstances that have eroded the confidence of a broad segment of football fans in the sport’s governing system.
He cited slow development, ongoing questions and disputes over referee training and qualification, a lack of transparency in selecting international referees, and missed opportunities to benefit from development and support programs offered by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Hamdoun added that Syrian football has promising young refereeing talent, but these capabilities are constrained by an administrative and technical system unable to provide the solutions needed to advance the sector.
VAR: An urgent solution still missing
Hamdoun said the quickest way to reduce refereeing errors that affect match results, particularly those involving penalties, goals and straight red cards, would be to introduce VAR. The technology does not eliminate all errors, he noted, but can significantly reduce decisive mistakes.
He questioned why the introduction of the technology had been delayed, arguing that there were no major external financial or logistical obstacles. He said the Syrian Football Association had frozen funds held with FIFA that could be used to develop the game and introduce modern technologies.
Hamdoun also pointed to dissatisfaction among some referees over the lack of transparency in nominating officials for the international list. The absence of an official announcement explaining the selection criteria, he said, negatively affects referees aspiring to reach international levels and fuels speculation and doubts.
On training and qualification, Hamdoun said the “Refereeing Academy,” which had been widely promoted on social media, had become little more than “ink on paper.” It had no clear presence or training structure, he said, adding that it had merely been announced without any defined work programs.
Sports media: Reform requires development and accountability
Sports journalist Majd Abdullah said refereeing errors are part of football worldwide, as referees are human and can make both correct and incorrect decisions. However, he said the recurrence of errors affecting results in the Syrian league in recent seasons raises serious questions about the state of refereeing and the reasons behind the failure to develop it.
Abdullah added that Syrian refereeing still lacks several basic requirements, foremost among them VAR.
He said clear mechanisms were also needed to assess referees and review any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the independence of their decisions. Refereeing performance, he stressed, should be evaluated continuously against objective technical standards, free from pressure from clubs and fans.
Abdullah said bringing in foreign referees for some high-stakes matches could serve as an interim measure to ease pressure and strengthen confidence in the competition while local officials are developed according to standards of competence, experience and the ability to manage matches under pressure.
MHD/MZN
