SA football needs VAR now more than ever

soccer referee Victor Gomes during a match

file. A few weeks ago, SAFA appointed retired World Cup referee Victor Gomes as the chairperson of the National Referees Committee. Picture: Jamie Machel/BackpagePix

Published Mar 20, 2023

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Cape Town - Since the beginning of this PSL DStv Premiership season, several club coaches have aired their grievances about poor officiating at post-match press conferences.

South African footie fans also felt the sharp edge of poor officiating when its national team Bafana Bafana was a victim of rank-poor refereeing. The outcome of their match against Ghana in November 2021 resulted in the South Africans failing to reach the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup showpiece.

Officiating in local matches, both at professional and amateur levels, is the responsibility of the country's mother body, the South African Football Association (SAFA). In the case of continental competition, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appoints officials.

Over the weekend, South Africa's two glamour sides, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, who enjoy great following countrywide despite failing to impose themselves on the domestic landscape, won their matches thanks to penalties which proved decisive.

The penalties were not clear-cut cases but if VAR (video assistant referees) had been available they could have been overturned and the correct calls would have prevailed.

Of course, VAR also had its failures and that was recently exposed in England where a VAR decision was more controversial than clear-cut. However, more often than not VAR has been spot-on.

Further north, some 7000kms from South Africa, Marumo Gallants bravely fought the odds in hostile Libya, but went down 4-1 to the Al Akhdar on Sunday evening.

After Al Akhdar had gone 2-0 up, Gallants staged a concerted fight-back and scored three goals but two were denied. Since it was a CAF match, VAR is usually available but that was not the case in Libya on Sunday, and Gallants’ appeals fell on deaf ears.

SAFA has long identified the need to install the necessary technology at stadiums around the country so that VAR could be available for domestic matches.

A few weeks ago, SAFA appointed retired World Cup referee Victor Gomes as the chairperson of the National Referees Committee. The implementation of VAR is an immediate goal of this committee.

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Next week, Gomes will be in Spain for a FIFA seminar, and he will consult officials on how to accelerate the establishment of the VAR process in South Africa.

The immediate problem is that there are only three officials in the country who are qualified to use VAR. The next problem is that there are only three stadiums used for football where VAR can be used. The rest needs infrastructure. In the past, CAF has used VAR at Champions League matches involving Mamelodi Sundowns and Chiefs.

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The Premier Soccer League, the controlling body of pro football in South Africa, has also made an appointment that will prove a benefit in the sphere of match officiating in the country. Former Fifa referee Andile ‘Ace’ Ncobo has been appointed the PSL's general manager.

For many years there has been dissension between SAFA and the PSL but now that two former FIFA refs are running the show, the matter of implementing VAR will happen sooner than later.

@Herman_Gibbs

IOL Sport