The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is a part of football that many love to hate. On one side of the fence, some have welcomed the introduction of the technology to the world’s most popular sport, saying it strengthens the integrity of the game.
On the other hand, critics have said that too much technology in sports harms its authenticity and the natural rhythm of matches, even as it increases the chances of match referees making correct and fair decisions.
FA Cup controversy
In recent FA Cup fourth round clashes, there was some outcry over the absence of VAR – with the Premier League saying they would only implement the use of the technology from the fifth round (round of 16).
For a team like Leicester City, who were knocked out of the competition after controversially losing 2-1 to Manchester United in the fourth round, implementing VAR this late in the competition will feel like a punch in the stomach. The Foxes succumbed to an injury-time goal from United defender Harry Maguire, which he scored from an offside position.
“It’s difficult to accept because the match was decided by a mistake, that’s clear. It’s not a question of VAR, where you have to look at millimeters. It’s half a meter, that’s clear,” said Leicester coach and former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“The team didn’t deserve to lose the match like that. They fought, played well and dominated for a long time,” added Van Nistelrooy.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12615669.jpg "Ruud van Nistelrooy, manager of Leicester. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Adam Vaughan)")
United manager Ruben Amorim echoed his counterpart’s sentiments, saying: “The goal was offside. We should have VAR. It should be there to overturn the decision because it’s hard for the opponent, it’s hard for Ruud.”
Despite this agreement from the two managers, VAR has long been a controversial subject. Especially since, despite his presence, referees remain prone to making mistakes.
However, ahead of the FA Cup final round, the Premier League said it was satisfied with the improvements seen since the introduction of VAR in the English top flight in 2019.
More technology
The Premier League said that so far this season only 13 refereeing errors had been made during 70 VAR interventions. The league said this was an improvement from 20 results from 61 VAR assessments during the same period last season.
“No one underestimates the importance and impact of a single mistake. We know that a single mistake can cost clubs points, results, managerial jobs and potentially players their places,” said Tony Scholes, Premier League director of football.
“They are significant, they are extremely important in such a high stakes game, so our absolute goal is to reduce that number as much as possible, but we should also just recognize a few points,” Scholes said.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TL_2339277.jpg "John Comitis, owner of Cape Town City FC. (Photo: Philippe Maeta / Gallo Images)")
The Premier League also said that as well as reintroducing VAR for the round of 16, it would test a new technological concept: semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT).
According to the Premier League, the aim of this latest concept is to “provide more effective placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and produce virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters”.
Essentially, the introduction of SAOT will not change the accuracy of decision making, but will improve the speed and efficiency of the process. This could be a welcome development, as critics of VAR have also criticized the time it takes to make decisions.
Local perspective
Over the years, countless questionable calls have been made by referees in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL). So much so that former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane coined the term “beneficial” when it comes to teams winning matches thanks to questionable decisions by referees.
However, the wait for VAR in one of Africa’s most respected leagues continues, despite increasingly loud calls for its implementation. The main stumbling block? Finance.
Cost of R80 million
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, who has been one of the biggest advocates for the introduction of VAR in recent times, told SABC Sport in 2024 that he estimated implementing the technology would cost around R80 million, plus an additional R70,000 per match thereafter. These are of course rough estimates.
Cape Town City owner John Comitis (who was then a member of the PSL executive committee) told Daily Maverick in 2024 that the league was ready for VAR, but could not continue without the South African Football Federation (Safa).
“From the PSL point of view, we have been ready for VAR for two years. The situation, unfortunately, is that the referees are controlled and trained by Safa. So we would need Safa to step in and put in place the necessary structures in order to train the referees in the use of VAR systems,” Comitis said.
“It is obviously a financial outlay that the PSL is prepared for. But without Safa’s cooperation in training the referees, it will always be difficult. We cannot start it and miss a match here and there. Once you get there, it has to be in every match,” the former football administrator added.
“So you need the technology in every stadium, plus the manpower…Either in a central location or in every stadium. You can’t miss a weekend and say ‘we didn’t have enough people’. Once you’re in the dance, you have to dance. You have to keep the level high,” Comitis said.“We would be very enthusiastic if we managed to put this in place. Because it would level the playing field on many issues. There is no club that has not been the victim of bad refereeing,” he said. DM
