Title-Deciding Libyan Premier League match postponed due to VAR failure

The decisive Libyan Premier League fixture between Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Hilal Benghazi was unexpectedly postponed on Sunday following a malfunction in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

Speaking to Libya Sports Channel, Vice President of the Libyan Football Federation (LFF), Fawzi Ajouda, confirmed that the issue affected both the Al-Ahly Tripoli vs. Al-Hilal match and the Al-Akhdar vs. Swehly clash. However, while the latter went ahead after both teams agreed to play without VAR, Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Hilal insisted on the technology being available due to the match’s decisive nature.

Ajouda added to Libya Sports Channel that efforts were made to convince both clubs to proceed without VAR, but they refused, prompting the refereeing team to leave the stadium.

According to Ajouda, there was a delay in paying the financial dues for the system, which were only settled earlier on the same day.

The LFF now plans to stage the title-decider within 48 hours in Italy, with the presence of full VAR technology. Discussions will be held with both clubs to agree on a suitable kick-off time, with a deadline of Tuesday.

Ajouda described the day’s events as “extremely frustrating” for the federation and the teams involved, placing responsibility on the company contracted to provide VAR services.