By Razeen Gutta
Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has confirmed that talks are underway to bring video assistant refereeing (VAR) to South African football.
The refereeing errors in elite South African club football, particularly the Premier Soccer League (PSL), have sparked a push to bring the technology to Mzansi.
McKenzie told his followers on social media that talks with the PSL and the South African Football Association (Safa) have begun, citing that South Africa is not “a tenth-world country”.
“All football-loving fans know that the time for VAR has arrived in SA football. We need VAR & we need it now,” McKenzie said on X.
“Those meetings start now because we are not a tenth-world country. I shall report back soonest after meeting Safa and the PSL this week.”
Earlier this year, Abdul Ebrahim, head of refereeing at Safa, told FarPost that a budget had been established for VAR but that training of officials could be a hurdle.
He added that obtaining permissions to implement it would be key, which is a process that is now expected to move forward as Safa and the PSL enter into discussions.
Pictured above: Video Assistant Refereeing.
Source: @wired
Full Story Source: VAR is coming to Mzansi!
