South Africa’s head of referees, Victor Gomes, says the Premier Soccer League (PSL) is not ready to have the much-spoken-about video assistant referee (VAR) technology.
This despite also hinting that the introduction of VAR in the PSL could be imminent.
Gomes was speaking to the media recently after winning the Cosafa Referee Legend award at the inaugural Cosafa Awards held at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Since the start of the season, calls for the implementation of the VAR have been growing due to constant refereeing blunders, which have proved to be costly.
We want to do it correctly
PSL referees have since faced heavy criticism, not only from the public but also from former referees, who have questioned whether they are good enough to officiate at the highest level of local football.
Weighing in on the state of readiness to introduce the VAR amid the issues of costs and stadium ownership, among others, Gomes said the PSL is not yet ready.
“We are not ready [to have the VAR in SA], but it’s a process. I keep saying that it’s like a pilot licence; there are a certain number of hours that referees need to go through,” Gomes said.
“We are ready to start their training, and I would say it’s not only referees; the broadcasters and all that stuff need to come on board with that.
“It’s a big process, and we don’t want to rush something and get it wrong. We want to bring it in and do it correctly so that everybody trusts it.”
Budgetary costs
Gomes, who is the chairperson of the SA Football Association referees committee, admitted that the VAR is the only option that will raise the standard of referring in the PSL.
He also confirmed that the committee of referees will be discussing budgetary costs in its quest to introduce the technology.
“VAR is the future of football. It will help the PSL; it will help any league in the world. VAR is here to stay.”
“We’re sitting for some budgetary costs in the next two weeks, and that’s how far we are already.
“We’ve been working for the past year, but it’s not something that you can switch on and say: ‘We’re ready to do it’.
“You need to go through the processes and the budgets, so it’s quite intense.
