With the referees training ahead of the 2025/26 season having concluded on Friday, there was no video assistant referee (VAR) training conducted.
This means that the chances of having VAR in the coming season are very slim.
The much-talked about VAR has become a need and the prerequisite in the PSL, with officiating standards having gone to the dogs. Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie made an undertaking that there will be VAR in the PSL in the coming months. He reassured the football community that his department will either fund, or assist with the implementation of the technology.
But a well-placed insider mentioned that referees finished their training this past Friday and are ready to blow their whistles when the new season gets underway with the MTN8 on Saturday without udergoing VAR training.
MTN8 defending champions Orlando Pirates will get the ball rolling when they face Polokwane City at home on Saturday.
“The SA football fans can rest assured that there will be no VAR this year. For starters, there was no training to use the technology. According to Fifa, it takes six weeks for referees to be trained to use VAR. The season is starting, and it is too late now,” said the well-placed insider.
“The referees finished their theory and practicals this week – they were covering the new changes to the updated Fifa Laws of the Game. They also underwent physical fitness tests – which will determine which referees will remain in the panel. I hear that there are victims who failed the fitness tests. Every aspect was covered, but no mention of VAR,” said the insider.
“Secondly, there are no funds yet. Minister McKenzie has made promises but it seems that his budget was slashed in parliament and the R90-million that he promised is not forthcoming. Even if it comes, it may be cut down in half, and that will not be enough. And we all know that the South African Football Association (Safa) is struggling financially and that its does not have the resources to fund the VAR project,” he added.
He explained further that Safa, the PSL and the minister have four months to turn the situation around or South Africa will have to start talking about VAR in the 2026/27 season. “Another opportunity to train referees for TV officiating could be during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco from December to January. The PSL goes on a break and that could open a window, but it’s all about raising the finances to get the technology and to facilitate the training, which costs money
as well.
“There’s no VAR for now and there is an opportunity during Afcon or we will have to wait for the season after this coming one,” he added.
The tender processes were complete, but they still needed to select a service provider. Safa has formed a VAR committee comprising Safa head of referees Abdul Ebrahim, chairman of the referees committee Victor Gomes, Safa CEO Gronie Hluyo and some government officials to evaluate the bids and to appoint the bid company.
McKenzie told Sunday World on Friday: “The PSL and Safa members looked at the bids this week, and we will be notified about the result of that. Everyone in South Africa knows that the budget could have been passed three months ago but because of differences within the GNU, it happened only this week. My budget has not been sliced, I still have the R90-million to give to VAR, the R90-million is also for connectivity at all stadiums.
“Being late doesn’t mean that it will not happen. There is nothing preventing us from starting later in the season,” he added.
