Johannesburg- How expensive is it to introduce the video assistant referee (VAR) technology in South African football? It has become imperative to do so soon, more so in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza must come clean and take us into his confidence inform us by detailing the breakdown of the cost of the technology.
I mean facts and figures, perhaps we would understand the delay or rather whether it will be introduced at all. Khoza has often cited the logistical and financial burden the VAR system will place on the league if an undertaking was made to introduce it.
What with Covid-19 and no gate-takings, clubs are reliant on the PSL grant. We have not been told how much it would cost the league for football to have VAR.
If we knew, perhaps we may empathise and live with the appalling refereeing decisions. What informs this conversation is the rate at which match officials are getting away with dishonesty, bias and errors. VAR was introduced in leagues falling under the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 2019.
It came about following rigorous testing by the lawmakers of the game, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), to help referees eliminate errors. The crux is, of late some of the decisions have branded the whistlemen as cheats.
Complicating the situation further is that the “errors” go unchallenged and unpunished. This reminds me of some of the ludicrous decisions we witnessed at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Cameroon.
VAR came to the rescue, but some referees chose not to take their decision on review. Fair enough, not every incident should go through the VAR process, only blatant errors. At most, the narrow and marginal calls should go on review, otherwise playing time will be lost watching the monitors instead of getting on with the business of the game.
That said, AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy is often regarded as a loud-mouth moaner and groaner among the PSL coaches. The Usuthu mentor was deeply aggrieved and wasted no time venting his anger at Masixole Bambiso, the match official who handled his team’s Nedbank Cup Last 32 match against Orlando Pirates last Sunday.
McCarthy and his players’ pleas for a penalty were ignored when Pirates defender Goodman Mosele handled the ball. McCarthy was furious after his side’s 1-0 loss, signalling their elimination in the cup competition.
The former Buccaneers striker’s utterances could see him being roasted over the coals. He risks censure by the PSL disciplinary committee for saying his team was beaten by the man in the middle (referee), rather than by their opponents (Pirates).
As I say, VAR would have put the matter to rest. We’ve had referees being disciplined and suspended, ask Jelly Chavani. Chavani was suspended from officiating any football match for four weeks after awarding Chiefs a dubious penalty against AmaZulu.
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