LEARN VAR USAGE FROM CAF, JOSE MOURINHO TO EUROPEAN OFFICIALS

Portuguese football manager, Jose Mourinho, has adjudged the performance of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) officials at the Cote D'Ivoire 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, better and emulative, regarding the integration of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to the course of officiating football match.

In his remark, the controversial football manager placed the performance of CAF Referees on how the European Football Officials make use of the football-tech innovative device and insisted the Europeans may need to learn how to be honest in the use of VAR.

Jose Mourinho stated that CAF officials used the VAR for the purpose ot was designed, and did not use it to help their favorite teams or "money magnet" teams to win a match.

He restated that the effective use of VAR by the CAF Referees had enabled all the teams at the AFCON to give the best of their players.

He said CAF Referees had taught the world, especially European Football Officials, that officials should be listening to complaints from players and coaches, and VAR is designed to help the officials resolve the complaints, amicably.

He said, "I have watched AFCON more than European football. They are simply teaching us to be honest. In AFCON VAR is used exactly the way it should be used. They do not use it to help the money magnet teams or famous teams. This is why you saw the best out of every team. Because they know VAR is not hired behind the scenes but is for everyone.

"They listen even to their Players if the Ref missed something and go check.

"In Europe, if I as a coach or a player plead with a ref to go check something, it is a red card for doing that. The headquarters for VAR needs to be in CAF."

In a related development, the Portuguese football manager, Jose Mourinho, revealed that the player he would most like to have worked with is the Argentina forward, Lionel Messi.

Speaking to influencer Ohm on his YouTube channel, Mourinho described Messi as "someone who was born with everything you may want to teach in football.

When asked to pick out the superstars he wishes he had crossed paths with, Jose Mourinho said, “For example, I never got to train Lionel Messi, but then nobody can train Messi.

"It is absurd to think you could coach him because he was born with everything and already knows everything. He might teach you some things. All you could say is that you had the honor of having him in your squad."