Safa’s finance committee chair, Mxolisi Sibam, says once VAR has been implemented, the technology will operate in the women’s top flight, the Hollywoodbets Super League, and not just the PSL.
Sibam, who doubles up as the Buffalo City region president, disclosed this while he was verifying if Safa had received funding from sports minister Gayton McKenzie’s office intended for VAR.
McKenzie had said the ball was in Safa’s court to roll out the technology that is expected to assist match officiation amid referee decision complaints.
Sibam said they were given R20m to implement VAR, and during the recent NEC meeting (this past weekend in Johannesburg) there was a budget approval process so the mother body could continue rolling out of the technology.
“It won’t only be the PSL that will be end-users. We also have the Hollywoodbets Super League (HSL), which will benefit.
“Our target end-users are two — the PSL and HSL — as well as all our national competitions. I can confirm that we have received the funding from the minister. The money is in the bank.
“I also want to state that it is in a separate bank account that doesn’t include other transactions of Safa.
“We have to comply with Safa and government regulations when reporting on the money. Yes, the government has been very generous with us.
“The work started seven months ago. It’s not that we are only starting now.
“Fortunately, the people who will be in charge of it indicated they are targeting the start of next season for VAR to be operational.”
Those include former referees Victor Gomes and Daniel Bennett.
Sibam said they were still uncertain about the implementation dates for VAR.
“The fact that we are at this point and have accepted the money from the government shows Safa’s commitment,” he said.
“It must also be noted that Safa is the leading association in Africa, so we cannot be left behind.
“Already, there are four associations on the continent that have VAR. So, we cannot claim to lead while falling behind in other aspects.
“We want to lead in every aspect of football. We are very committed to ensuring that VAR becomes a reality in our country.”