The Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture has announced an R82 million investment to bring video assistant referee (VAR) technology to the Premier Soccer League (PSL), South Africa’s largest football league. The replay technology, though improving, has arrived in other leagues with much scandal and infamy, and will likely be a bumpy ride before things get better.
Head o-VAR heels
VAR made its first appearance in the highest levels of pro football during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, though pitchside monitors for referees to double-check were introduced for the 2016 Brazilian World Cup. The technology debuted to surprisingly positive reviews, but it didn’t take long for that goodwill to whither into dust.
The following season, just a few months later, and every season onwards, the technology would lead to controversy after controversy in every league it had been introduced in.
Meant to make things more definite, it did the exact opposite, introducing more ambiguity instead, as referees began to overthink their decisions. Many want the technology eternally banished from the sport, but the reality is, the fault lies mostly with its operators, and that should get better over time.
Now, South Africa is set to go through its own VAR break-in phase. The DSAC is investing R82 million into the procurement of the technology, with SAFA and the PSL assisting in its implementation in the continent’s biggest football league. The department also says a small portion of the budget will be dedicated to improving connectivity in its stadiums, not only to make the technology run smoother, but to assist in other network-related tech in stadiums, like relocating lost children.
