The South African Football Association’s referees boss, Ebrahim Patel, has given an update on the status of the introduction of VAR in the Betway Premiership.
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has been speaking a lot about VAR and promised South African football fans that it was “coming soon.”
Speaking three weeks ago, McKenzie said: “I promised and I said the month of April. I’ve done it. The money is there, the advert went out. FIFA will tell you they don’t want the department to do it.
“They want SAFA to do it. So the R90 million is there, we went to Spain with the help of SuperSport again, we tested VAR. It works 100%.
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“So people, stop asking me where VAR is. I have done what I promised to do. There’s nothing more I can do. The money is the most important [thing].
“SuperSport assisted us, so next season there will be VAR. Let’s give SAFA a chance to finalise. There will be VAR in our soccer in South Africa.”
However, that’s not true, according to Patel, who said “nothing has moved,” in a KickOff report.
According to Patel, SAFA are still waiting to hear from McKenzie and his department on the way forward. The tender processes were complete, but they still needed to select a service provider.
“It’s possible for the PSL to have VAR next season, but only in certain matches; we will not be able to implement VAR in the league because a lot of training is still needed.
“There is possibility in cup games, yes, but not for the league.”
The call for VAR in the Betway Premiership has intensified after a number of high-profile blunders. Early last season, Kaizer Chiefs felt they were robbed during a league encounter againt Mamelodi Sundowns.
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