Zungu promises VAR before end of season

AmaZulu FC president Sandile Zungu has committed implementing Video Assistant Referee technology in the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season if elected president of SAFA. The delay in VAR rollout across South Africa stems from extensive referee training requirements. READ | Gaxa: If Zungu wins SAFA elections... Zungu, a successful businessman, is directly competing with Danny Jordaan for the SAFA presidency. "Regarding VAR, I will set a clear goal to ensure that this coming season concludes with the PSL fully prepared for VAR implementation," said Zungu, speaking to KickOff. "It will be introduced at the start of the season or, at the latest, mid-season. We must ensure we have sufficiently trained referees and all necessary resources allocated for VAR. "Technology exists, but infrastructure and personnel training need to be ready. Therefore, VAR is an absolute priority. If I lead, securing resources for referee training will be my top focus. "I will establish dedicated funding for this purpose. "The absence of VAR has been an ongoing issue season after season. Last season, refereeing standards improved significantly compared to the previous year. Referees and match officials demonstrated better conduct. "In AmaZulu FC matches, only a few incidents involved clearly wrong decisions. READ | Zungu: How I want to transform SA football "For example, in a midweek game against Magesi— which was not televised — our top striker [Thandolwenkosi] Ngwenya was wrongly awarded a red card. We should have been awarded a foul, but the referee’s decision went against us, and Ngwenya received a second yellow. "He was sent off, and we ended up drawing the match. Without VAR, that crucial mistake cost us. That was one of the poorly officiated games I attended," he adds. "Lack of VAR undermines player effort and morale, discouraging trained athletes who work hard on the field."