December 6, 2019 - The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has fulfilled all obligations required to start using the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system in Croatian football.

The Croatian Football Federation has completed all activities and referee training to introduce VAR technology into Croatian football, which is funded through the FIFA Forward program.

Namely, eleven Assistant Video Referees (VARs), thirteen Assistant VARs (AVARs), sixteen VAR Match Referees and five technicians have been trained.

Ante Kulušić, President of the HNS Football Referees Commission and VAR Project Manager for Croatia, submitted all final documentation, including a competition permission request to the International Football Federation Board (IFAB) and the World Football Federation (FIFA).

This fulfills all the obligations of the Croatian Football Federation necessary to start using the VAR technology in Croatian football.

"Congratulations to all who have participated in this challenging and extensive project and thanks to the Croatian Football Federation and Fifa for their great support. A lot of resources, effort and time have been put into the training, and we look forward to a positive IFAB response and the go-ahead to use VAR, as announced, from the spring part of the Croatian championship,” said Kulušić, who is also the vice president of HNS.

Recall, back in May this year, selected referees underwent complex training under the watchful eye of IFAB, an independent regulatory body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football, so that VAR would be ready to use in Croatian football in a year. 

"VAR technology is the most important and fastest revolution in modern football. It was used for the first time in 2016 and has been used in the most important games of the 2018  World Cup. Our vision for VAR technology and video aids is as little interference in the game as possible," IFAB Technical Director and former English football referee David Elleray said at the presentation of VAR technology in Sesvete then. 

All involved in this project agreed; the introduction of VAR technology is the most demanding project of HNS. Disagreements with referees, which have hovered over the Federation for years, generated many affairs that would have been minimized by introducing VAR.

The VAR room will include only the VAR Chief Referee, AVAR or Assistant Referee, and VAR Technician. 

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On its official website, the Croatian Football Federation informed the public that Bruno Marić resigned as chief instructor of VAR on May 16, 2019.

"Marić informed the HNS leadership in writing that he resigned as VAR instructor of the Croatian Football Federation.

The Croatian Football Federation is grateful to Marić on the contribution he has made so far and his work on the project introducing VAR to Croatian football,” HNS said on their website. 

You can find Bruno Marić’s resignation transmitted below, which was signed as the "Best Croatian football referee, Bruno Marić from Daruvar".

"Dear Sirs,

Behind us is a very successful eight months of work on the VAR project in Croatia. Behind us is David Elisey's visit to Zagreb, who is one of the world's largest authorities when VAR technology is concerned. Behind us is a very important media presentation of VAR technology, which will bring support, peace, and trust in Croatian football, and I would say reconciliation!

Ahead of us is painstaking work to prepare the VAR technology by February 2020 for all HNL matches.

But with all of my heart, I hope that in front of us is a Croatia national team game in Split, a city that wishes for representative football, as does the whole of Croatia who wants the national team to play in Split. The wonderful audience in all the cities where our team has played certainly wants Split, with its recognizable Mediterranean emotion, to host at least one qualifying win of our silver medalists. 

Given that I could recognize in the media that there could be problems with playing the game in Split, and because of my function as the chief instructor of VAR, I am resigning. I am resigning proud of my VAR instructor's work, but also of what I leave for whoever will inherit my position. 

I particularly note that I resign solely because of Croatia and Croatian football. No, I'm not leaving because of pressure, I'm not leaving because I'm tired. I'm leaving because I'm the most rewarded referee in Croatia and I have the responsibility for football. My resignation did not require either the Federation or HNK Hajduk, but in the media, there should not be even a grain of negativity when football and the national team are concerned.

I use this opportunity to thank the Executive Committee of HNS, Executive Director Marijan Kustić, President of KNS HNS Ante Kulušić, my football referees and everyone who supported me! Of course, I will be available if Croatian football needs me, and we will see you in Split for the Croatia - Hungary game!”

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HNS and the Croatian football refereesare intensely preparing for the introduction of the VAR (video assistant referee) system.

Under the watchful eye of IFAB, an independent regulatory body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football, selected judges are undergoing complex training so that, in about a year, they are ready to use VAR in the Croatian football league. The Croatian Football Federation organized a media demonstration of the system, which is introduced in this part of Europe first, reports Gol.hr on May 14, 2019. 

"VAR technology is the most important and fastest revolution in modern football. It was used for the first time in 2016 and has been used in the most important games of the 2018  World Cup. Our vision for VAR technology and video aids is as little interference in the game as possible," said IFAB Technical Director and former English football referee David Elleray at the presentation of VAR technology in Sesvete.

All involved in this project agree; the introduction of VAR technology is the most demanding project of HNS. Disagreements with referees, which have hovered over the Federation for years, generated many affairs that would have been minimized by introducing VAR.

“Twelve referees are now preparing for their VAR license and 13 AVAR licenses. That will be enough in the first season, and when these referees get their license we will train the younger referees from the talent program for VAR,” said Ante Kulušić, president of the HNL Referee Commission.

The VAR room will include only the VAR Chief Referee, AVAR or Assistant Referee, and VAR Technician. The rules about using VAR are very detailed and strict.

"VAR serves solely as an aid and as a second chance. Thus, VAR will not judge, and the stories that VAR judges for referees and make decisions is not correct. VAR is only an aid that corrects bad and obvious errors, and only four instances are allowed to be viewed in the recording. Things like whether a goal was scored from the offside position, whether there was a handball and the like, whether there should be a penalty or one was unfairly given, and if a direct red card was given - and I note direct, not a second yellow. So these are four things that can only be viewed through VAR technology. Everything else is not allowed,” said Bruno Marić, a former referee who led the instruction.

The mode of communication between the judges in the room and those in the field is also prescribed. Improvisation does not exist because they know exactly who is talking and what phrases are being used.

Croatia's most experienced judge, Ivan Bebek, has already been introduced to VAR technology

“I had the chance to go to Saudi Arabia where I had the opportunity to referee at the invitation of their Football Federation, and I can tell you that I was more tired and sweat more in the VAR room than I do on the field. It is a ferocious responsibility. On the field, people can understand the referee’s mistake if you're slightly wrong or far away, and in the VAR room when you have all the benefits of repetitive footage, you simply should not make mistakes,” Ivan Bebek said.

However, mistakes are not entirely excluded, because VAR referees need to find the right angle of view, if available. Bruno Marić has been in many controversial situations during his career and said he would be happy if VAR existed then.

"Because of the two, three situations that have created a lot of problems in my life, VAR technology would certainly help me, or at least somebody would believe that my decisions were more accurate because sometimes using VAR technology comes to the credibility of decisions that are made in the field. If I could turn back time with some of my decisions, I would certainly have used VAR technology,” says Bruno Marić.

Some referees have already asked to work exclusively in the field and outside the VAR room, and it will probably take time for teams to feel comfortable in the VAR room. Assistant referee Sanja Rođak Karšić, who will soon ref at the women’s World Cup, will be exclusively on the ground.

"I will not take on the role of AVAR because I would still like to focus on just refereeing; it is quite complicated and complex,” said Sanja Rođak Karšić.

If everything goes according to plan, VAR will be used in the HNL from the spring of 2020. 

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