By Sompisi Ntuli
The South African football fraternity has been promised the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for long enough. Instead of its implementation, another excuse has been given, or in this case, a media statement with a detailed timeline of events.
The statement from the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture (DSAC) on 25 August 2026 about the rollout of VAR in the Betway Premiership, the highest level of football in South Africa, leaves much to be desired. The VAR, as defined by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), is a refereeing support tool that enables clear and obvious errors to be checked, reviewed, and corrected during a match. The technology was implemented during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in what was a significant evolution in football officiating.
Whether or not South Africa needs VAR is not up for debate. It certainly does. The question is whether the institutions responsible for its implementation are capable and can do so efficiently and transparently.
SAFA’s VAR Commitment
When the DSAC met the South African Football Association (SAFA) National Executive Committee (NEC) in Gqeberha on the 11th of October 2024, many saw it as a sign that the game was heading in the right direction. This was followed up by the DSAC confirming this in writing and initially informing the public that they would make a provision of R90 million available for the entire VAR implementation process. With the game becoming increasingly fast and refereeing officials struggling to keep up with the intensity of the beautiful game, this technology is needed. It is worth noting that South Africa does not even have Goal-Line Technology (GLT), which was introduced by FIFA, six years prior to the critically acclaimed VAR technology.
The year 2024 saw positivity radiating from the South African football fanbase, fresh off a 3rd place finish at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in January of that year, Bafana Bafana’s best finish at any AFCON tournament since 1996, life was certainly rosy for South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie and company.
Procurement in 2025
By September 2025, the DSAC confirmed that R82 million had been set aside in the then-budget and asked for the project to move swiftly. What came after was the complete opposite. Those at the helm of both SAFA and the DSAC continued to fumble a golden opportunity to engrave their names in the echelons of South African football history, as a technical fact-finding mission was dispatched to Spain in a bid to immerse themselves in live VAR operations conducted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The DSAC and SAFA went as far as inviting three South African journalists so that those at home could get a glimpse of the operations. A promising start to a project that has failed to translate to anything tangible, as is often the case with the public sector. However, despite that, the DSAC treasury approved an allocation of more than R20 million towards VAR equipment in November 2025.
Unused Funds
Three months after the trip or ‘technical fact-finding trip’ to the home of the 2026 FIFA World Cup champions, SAFA submitted an amended three-year VAR implementation plan and budget, in the value of R54,7 million, for three financial years, with the training of match officials set to commence in July 2026. As of September 2026, the training of match officials has never commenced, Hugo Broos’ tenure as Bafana Bafana head coach has ended, and the 2026/27 season has already begun for every team in the country’s top three divisions of the football pyramid. Furthermore, 81 football federations are already utilising VAR, with five of those on the African continent. The most shameful thing about the current situation is that one would expect South Africa to be one of the better placed nations in relation to the rollout of VAR because the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts boast the largest economy in Africa. To add insult to injury, the R20 million transferred to SAFA in March 2026 towards VAR equipment remains unused. Absolutely shambolic.
What Next?
With Danny Jordaan at the helm of SAFA for another four years, the football governing body and the McKenzie-led DSAC need to account for their failure to implement VAR, once again proving that the public sector remains a playground to settle political scores for those in power. The involvement of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA needs to intensify to ensure that the focus solely remains on the action happening on the pitch rather than on boardroom politics.
