SAFA meet COSAFA and FIFA as they look to start VAR training

Monyepao confirmed this during a press conference organised by the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture and Minister Gayton McKenzie today. 

SAFA received R20 million from the Ministry in March earlier this year and promised to implement VAR by the beginning of this season, but there have been a lot of delays. 

Monyepao revealed that they are targeting a trial phase, and this will come in the form of testing it through the SAFA competitions, from the ABC Motsepe League national play-offs and Hollywoodbets Super League.

One of the main questions since the process started has been how aligned all the stakeholders are around VAR implementation. McKenzie revealed that the Premier Soccer League (PSL) has been consulted extensively around these developments and that they are fully involved in the process as well. 

Another area of concern that is said to have been raised by the PSL previously is how the funding is going to be handled beyond the implementation phase and who is going to be responsible for the costs. 

"The PSL has been part of all the different discussions and Dr Irvin Khoza has even delegated someone to represent the PSL in our meetings. 

"Our next phase is to get more sponsorship to sponsor the sustainability of VAR, so we've always had a plan. This wasn't a dream, we've been telling you about a plan the whole time. VAR is not an easy thing but it will happen and it's busy happening."

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Monyepao has also revealed the gaps that have been uncovered after consultation with all the stakeholders, including the PSL, which forced them to come up with a different approach...

"SAFA approved implementation of the project on 09 May 2026, however given the scale of expenditure and use of public funds, FIFA compliance requirements and the long term financial implications of VAR, the NEC resolved that further due diligence and budget verifications be conducted through the finance committee. A dedicated task team was then appointed to assess broadcast compatibility, infrastructure and connectivity requirements were revised, supplier proposals were analysed, amongst other things in the review process."