A South African Football Association delegation led by President Dr Danny Jordaan met with Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie in Pretoria on Wednesday to provide an update on the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in local football.
The joint press conference was held at the Freedom Park Heritage Site & Museum and was attended by Deputy Minister Peace Mabe, SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao, SAFA CFO Gronie Hluyo, DSAC Director-General Dr Cynthia Khumalo, and other senior officials.Minister McKenzie confirmed that the VAR project is actively underway, with SAFA scheduled to meet FIFA on 15 October 2026 to seek approval to begin formal referee training.
“VAR is not an easy thing, but I will say this to you, VAR is going to happen, and VAR is busy happening. We have dates, not next year, but tomorrow,” McKenzie said.He added that VAR would help protect players and modernise the game by giving referees a 360-degree view of matches.
SAFA President Dr Jordaan said VAR has become critical to Africa’s ambition to compete at the highest level, referencing discussions held in Cabo Verde on elevating African teams’ performance at the World Cup.SAFA said it initiated the VAR project in 2024 as a referee-development and football-modernisation initiative, not merely as an equipment purchase.
The primary goal was to train South African match officials in VAR protocols and keep them competitive for appointments in CAF and FIFA competitions.The Association initially intended to self-fund the programme in collaboration with COSAFA, CAF and FIFA.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s subsequent allocation of R20 million accelerated the process by removing the major obstacle of funding.According to SAFA, the principal beneficiaries will include the Betway Premiership, the Hollywoodbets Super League, and SAFA competitions such as the ABC Motsepe League and SAFA Women’s Provincial League play-offs.
However, implementation has taken longer than anticipated. A VAR Task Team report in September 2026 highlighted several practical challenges that have delayed procurement.SAFA stressed that VAR implementation is not just about buying equipment.
It requires FIFA approval, referee certification and training, competition integration, broadcaster compatibility, infrastructure readiness, procurement compliance and long-term operational funding.Internal assessments also identified risks including compatibility with existing broadcast environments, connectivity reliability for remote operations, camera coverage requirements, referee communication systems, and ongoing maintenance costs.
SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao said these matters must be resolved before full deployment.“SAFA’s position is therefore to prioritise referee training while outstanding technical, procurement and stakeholder engagement matters are finalised,” she said.
Currently, SAFA has eight referees trained through COSAFA on VAR, with three — Tom Abongile, Luxolo Badi and Akhona Makhalima — fully approved as Referee, VAR and Assistant VAR (AVAR). SAFA plans to expand this pool, with training expected to take approximately six months involving theoretical, simulator-based and field-based practical sessions.
The immediate roadmap includes further engagement with FIFA from 15 October onwards, engagement with COSAFA, strengthening the VAR Project Team to include finance, technical, PSL and broadcaster representatives, and engagement with SuperSport/Canal+ and SABC on technical compatibility.
Rather than an immediate full rollout, SAFA said the next milestone will be a controlled trial phase. Trials may be undertaken in SAFA competitions such as the Hollywoodbets Super League, ABC Motsepe Playoffs, Nedbank Cup, or approved international friendlies.
Any broader rollout will depend on FIFA approval, successful training, procurement compliance, stakeholder alignment and sustainability.SAFA reiterated its commitment to transparency and accountability, stating that public funds will only be utilised once all due diligence requirements have been satisfied
