https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cdjmrxzr942o The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) has confirmed that the upcoming BetMcLean Cup final between Linfield and Glentoran will see Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology used for the first time in Northern Ireland domestic football.
The decider between Belfast rivals Linfield and Glentoran will be played at Windsor Park on Sunday, 15 March at 15:00 GMT.
"This milestone represents a significant step forward for domestic football, aligning the league more closely with European competition standards," read a statement released by NIFL on Friday.
"While VAR will not replace the authority or judgement of the on-field referee, it will serve as a technological support mechanism aimed at enhancing decision-making accuracy, fairness, and transparency in key match incidents.
"The fixture will be officiated by Irish FA match officials on the field of play. However, VAR operations for this match will be managed by experienced referees from outside Northern Ireland using the Hawk-Eye system, as used in Fifa and Uefa competitions, ensuring technical proficiency during this introductory phase."
As a consequence of this - rumours have been that two Referees have withdrawn from their League games this weekend in protest at the decision.
NI only has 3 referees who are trained to referee under VAR conditions - so this limits the pool of those they can appoint to such games severely.
Finally - NI does not have any trained VARs - so the IFA have been trying to fumble around to get the necessary bodies in from another country.
All in all - this smacks highly of a short-sighted gimmick from the IFA
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