The use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the business stages of Caf competitions was supposed to signal progress, but there are groans over delays that referees take to consult the technology. In the recent incidents, the Caf Champions League quarterfinal home and away legs between Petro de Luanda and Mamelodi Sundowns were full of suspense and delays that riled teams and fans.
On many occasions, Ethiopian referee Bamleka Tessema Wayesa stopped the second leg game at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. He waited before the VAR team could signal to him to come and view questionable incidents on the monitor before making an informed decision. At first, Wayesa had to consult VAR before awarding Sundowns a penalty, which Themba Zwane wasted at the stroke of the first half.
Just when Petro de Luanda thought they had snatched an equaliser, the Ethiopian ruled out Petro de Luanda’s effort citing an infringement on Sundowns’ goalkeeper Denis Onyango as he jumped for the ball. Petro eventually grabbed the leveller that took them through 3-2 on aggregate, and again, the referee only decided on some stoppage before he consulted VAR.
Such instances irked Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi who complained over the frustrations of seeing his attacking team’s rhythm thwarted. “The momentum of the game was killed by a lot of things. The VAR decisions took too long, although I wouldn’t say they were right or wrong,” Mngqithi told the media.
“I feel having too many stoppages of four to five minutes in the issues of Denis, and the handball had an impact on the game. I think it is a decision that can be taken very quickly.” Petro de Luanda coach Alexandre Santos told FARPost in an exclusive interview from Angola that he supports VAR because it represents the present and future of football but calls for more efficiency in its usage.
“In our case, particularly in the last game, the referee did spend time making some decisions. It is not the best idea to spend much time. It is not good for the fans, for the advertisement and for the players to stop for a long time. There is a need for support from VAR for referees to improve decisions to make it faster,” Santos said.
There was more VAR drama on Sunday as the technology malfunctioned during the Confederation Cup quarter-final second leg match between Orlando Pirates and Simba of Tanzania in South Africa. Such technical challenges meant that VAR’s role of enhancing referees’ decisions had been compromised. Little wonder Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi was not amused.
“At some point, I saw the officials going to VAR, which was functioning; at some point, it didn’t work. I don’t know why. From where I was standing, I also saw two handballs. I don’t know whether it’s a manipulation of the rule, but it would’ve been nice to refer the two handballs to VAR,” he said. Caf introduced VAR in the quarterfinals stages of the continental competitions to improve refereeing in tandem with developments on the global scene. However, it seems the execution of VAR in Africa is a problem.
