The Rfef puts the VAR service out to tender for three seasons

The Var, at stake. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (Rfef) has presented the rules of the contest for the provision of arbitration assistance service via video for the next three seasons, from 2023-2024 to 2026-2027, with the possible inclusion of semi-automatic offsideas detailed by the entity in a statement.

Proposals must include offers for both men’s and women’s professional competitions. In the case of the women’s First Division, The implementation of the VAR will only be arranged if a majority of the clubs involved so request.

“Competitors can also offer semi-automatic offside detection technology in their proposal; the Rfef will offer this service to all the clubs, but its implementation will depend on the request of the majority of the First and/or Second Division entities”, he pointed out, recalling that “in any case, any system must always be applied to all regular competition matches. The term for the presentation of offers ends on April 21 at three in the afternoon.

The Rfef will allow the possible inclusion of the semi-automatic offside

The contest is for three years. In September, the National Commission for Markets and Competition (Cnmc) asked the Rfef to limit the bidding period to three seasons for the commercialization of audiovisual rights for the issuance in betting houses of the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Specifically, the Cnmc recommended to the Rfef a bidding procedure that respects the principles of competition, transparency and non-discrimination.

In December, the extraordinary general assembly of the federation approved the budget that will economically govern the federation in 2023 of 382 million euros, being the second largest budget in its history, below the 406 million euros of 2022, which it had shot up coinciding with the World Cup in Qatar. In fact, in the previous year without international events, the budget had been 175 million, which is more than double that amount.

The income will come from the exploitation of its main competitions (Supercopa de España and Copa del Rey), from the exploitation of audiovisual rights and from the consolidation and increase of sponsorships.

On the other hand, the president of the Rfef, Luis Rubiales, has announced that they will seek to reach an agreement with the Government to increase financial aid with a view to the candidacy for the 2030 World Cup; a World Cup event for which Rubiales has highlighted that “we are firm candidates”.