SAFA given 21-day deadline to explain stalled VAR rollout as R20m remains untouched

South African Football Association (SAFA) has until 9 September to provide a credible plan for introducing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology or return the R20m allocated by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has warned.

The department said the full amount remains untouched in a separate SAFA bank account, including the interest earned. It said no public money had been lost, although the project has suffered significant delays amid continued refereeing controversy in the Betway Premiership.

SAFA confirmed in writing on 18 August that the funds had not been used. The only state money spent so far was R765,257.03 for a technical fact-finding mission to Spain in November 2025.

McKenzie has demanded that SAFA submit a detailed progress report and procurement timetable by 9 September. If the response is not satisfactory, the ministry will seek to recover the money and explore alternative arrangements with FIFA and CAF.

“I put VAR on the table and I told the country it was coming, so the disappointment with the pace of progress belongs to me as much as to anyone else,” McKenzie said.

“I want to apologise to every South African I have let down. What I will not do is pretend. The money is there, it has not been touched.”

The minister said he remained determined to see VAR introduced into South African football, even if the project could not proceed through its original route.

“VAR must come to our football. If it cannot come the way we planned, it will come another way. But come it will,” he added.

The latest deadline follows a series of conflicting public statements about the funding. At one stage, the minister was reported as saying that R13m had been allocated to SAFA, although the association’s finance committee chairperson, Mxolisi Sibam, later confirmed that it had received R20m.

McKenzie said he had written to SAFA demanding the return of the state funds after becoming frustrated by the lack of progress. The association then requested an additional 21 days to complete its internal budget verification, a request that was granted.

“What I did as a Minister, I did two things. I took journalists, administrators and I took the team down to Spain and the UK so that they can go and see. So that we can compare which one is the best for us,” McKenzie said.

“I then took R13 million and I took it to SAFA and I can tell you now, that’s where I can’t do more as the minister.”

He later said: “I wrote Safa a letter where I said they should return my money and Safa asked for 21 days grace.”

The VAR project began in October 2024 after McKenzie met the SAFA NEC in Gqeberha, where the association formally backed the introduction of the system. SAFA issued a Request for Proposals in April 2025 and subsequently formed a tender evaluation committee involving representatives from SAFA, DSAC and the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

The process was then aligned with FIFA’s VAR Implementation Assistance and Approval Programme, which requires a formal project plan, a dedicated VAR project team and an approved technology provider.

A technical delegation travelled to Spain in November 2025. SAFA later submitted a revised three-year plan estimated at R54.7m. Under that proposal, match officials would begin training in July 2026, experimental VAR use would take place during the 2026/27 Nedbank Cup semi-finals, and full implementation would begin in the 2027/28 season.

Progress subsequently slowed. DSAC requested a written update from SAFA in April, but did not receive one. In May, the SAFA NEC approved the project in principle while ordering a further review of the budget before final approval. In July, SAFA chief executive Lydia Monyepao confirmed that none of the department’s money had been spent.

SAFA finance committee chairperson Sibam previously said the funds were being held separately and that the association was preparing to approve the budget.

“They’ve given us R20 million to implement VAR.At the current NEC meeting, we are going to finalise approval of that budget so we can continue with the work.”

Sibam said former referees, including Victor Gomes and Daniel Bennett, were involved in preparations. He also indicated that SAFA hoped the technology could be operational at the start of the next season, although he stopped short of committing to a firm date.

SAFA has said the PSL and the Hollywoodbets Super League would be among the main users, alongside national competitions.

McKenzie has also alleged that individuals within SAFA are obstructing the project.

“There are some gatekeepers at SAFA who are corrupt and don’t want VAR to happen,” he alleged.

“There will be VAR in the PSL and I want to apologise to the people. I have been let down terribly because what can I say? I have done everything.”

For now, the department’s position is that the money remains secure, but SAFA must account for the delay or face the prospect of the ministry pursuing another path to bring VAR to South African football.