KUALA LUMPUR – Selangor FC head coach Nidzam Jamil said he respects the decisions made by the video assistant referee (VAR) system in his side’s opening two matches of the ongoing Malaysia Super League.
The 40-year-old coach’s response comes after Selangor’s 4-0 victory over Negeri Sembilan FC in their second Super League tie, which attracted 10,365 fans at the MBPJ Stadium yesterday.
The match saw VAR used on two occasions for the Red Giants, involving the strikes of their attacking duo, Yohandry Orozco and Reziq Bani Hani.
Yohandry Orozco’s left-foot stunner in the penalty box was disallowed by match referee Amirul Izwan due to an offside in the opening minutes of the game’s second half.
The decision sparked frustration among Selangor fans present at the stadium, who could be seen jeering at the match referee.
Meanwhile, Reziq, who scored in the 90th minute after a perfect Selangor counter-attack, saw his goal initially ruled out, also for an offside, but was later given upon VAR review.
Nidzam said that Selangor has embraced VAR and has been coping well with it despite the challenges.
“VAR is like a CCTV. If they say it’s offside, I have to respect the referee’s decision. There were some issues with our third and fourth goals due to the involvement of VAR.
“But this is football, and challenges with the technology are not only happening in Malaysia, every footballing nation around the world is also going through the same issues with VAR.
“But we at Selangor have to cope with the challenging aspects of this technology and work around it.
“So far, we have been embracing it very well, and I don’t see any major issues for my side through the implementation of VAR in our opening two matches,” said Nidzam during a post-match conference.
At the same time, Nidzam also commented on his charges’ performance, citing that it was never easy for Selangor to play against Negeri Sembilan’s players, who possess a lot of speed in their gameplay.
“I like what Orozco has been offering in the game, but I’m not surprised by his performance as he’s an experienced player. I also loved Ronny Fernandez’s performance throughout the match, where he was working with and without the ball.
“Players like Nooa Laine, Afro (Sharul Nazeem), and Mukhairi Ajmal also played well, and it was not easy to go against Negeri Sembilan’s speedy players.
“I managed to see a lot of difference in my team’s gameplay from the first half, and I’m happy for my boys for showing up in the second half of the match with their commanding performances.
“My tactics worked, but I also have to clearly say that we were lucky to know how to overcome ourselves instead of putting ourselves down for not scoring in the first half. We were lucky that we were well prepared to face these kinds of situations,” Nidzam added.
Selangor currently rank fourth in the Super League table, with six points from three games – but having only played two after pulling out of the Charity Shield, which granted a walkover win and three points to Johor Darul Ta’zim FC. – May 27, 2024