Sports Minister backs VAR implementation in SA, set to meet SAFA and PSL

SA Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie is backing the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee – VAR in the country and is set to meet with SAFA and PSL.

The recent push to implement VAR in SA professional football is a direct response to the increasing number of controversial refereeing decisions in the SA elite league. The latest instance of poor officiating occurred during the high-profile match between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Numerous questionable calls made by the referee during the Betway Premiership tie have sparked widespread criticism and calls for technological intervention to improve the accuracy and fairness of matches.

Bafana Ba Style managed to secure a 2-1 over Amakhosi in the sold-out affair, where 85,000 tickets were sold.

However, the match official on the day, Skhumbuzo Gasa, was at the centre of attention, with the calls he made during the game, with the Soweto giants fanatics feeling hard done by the referee.

GAYTON MCKENZIE ON VAR IMPLEMENTATION

The minister of sport stated that it’s time for VAR to be implemented in Mzansi and that meetings with SAFA and the PSL will start soon.

McKenzie has promised football lovers that he will revert back to them with feedback after he meets with SAFA and PSL this week.

“All football-loving fans know that the time for VAR has arrived in SA football,” wrote McKenzie on his official X account [previously known as Twitter].

“We need VAR, and we need it now. Those meetings start now because we are not a 10th-world country.

“I shall report back as soon as possible after meeting SAFA and the PSL this week.”

In an interview with FARPost in May this year, Abdul Ebrahim, who is head of the SAFA refereeing department, explained that they have received approval to develop a comprehensive budget for VAR implementation in SA, but training referees and technical personnel would be a significant hurdle.

He acknowledged that training referees and technical personnel would be a significant challenge.

However, Ebrahim divulged that it’s a matter of getting the necessary permissions, with SAFA being the mother organization and the PSL being the professional wing. The two parties have to sit down and come to a decisive decision regarding VAR implementation in SA.

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