KUALA LUMPUR: Nazmi Nasaruddin, who is rated as one of Malaysia's top referees, is surprised by the enthusiasm shown by his peers in the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, for the first time, for the 2024-2025 M-League.
The 34-year-old, who hopes to blow the whistle at the 2026 World Cup, officiated at the Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar, in January.
And yesterday, he used VAR to send off a player.
During a trial match between KDP Armed Forces A and KL City Extension at UiTM Stadium in Shah Alam, Nazmi, after referring to VAR for a foul, changed a yellow card to red for a KL City Extension player.
"I was quite surprised when several referees contacted me, expressing their eagerness to learn about VAR. These are referees who haven't even undergone VAR courses," said Nazmi.
"It's overwhelming to see Malaysian referees displaying such willingness to learn about VAR."