VAR funding timeline: South Africa’s R20m remains untouched

South Africa’s R20m allocation for the video assistant referee (VAR) project remains in a separate South African Football Association (Safa) account, unused and earning interest, despite mounting pressure from the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture to show progress.

Safa confirmed the position in writing to the department’s director-general on 18 August 2026, after its chief executive told the association’s finance committee on 13 July that none of the transferred money had been spent.

The only public money used on the project so far is R765,257, which paid for a technical fact-finding mission to Spain in November 2025. That expenditure was reported to the National Assembly in response to a parliamentary question this year.

The department recently issued a detailed statement setting out how the much-debated project has developed over the past two years.

How the funding developed

In October 2024, the department said it could provide up to R90m for the introduction of VAR. That figure was revised in September 2025, when the minister confirmed that R82m had been set aside in the then-current budget.

National Treasury subsequently approved R20m as an initial tranche for the 2025/26 financial year. The money was allocated against a three-year implementation plan submitted by Safa, with the first year budgeted at R20,477,800.

The department said further payments would depend on evidence of implementation progress and the completion of outstanding procurement requirements. It repeated that position to parliament in November 2025.

The R20m was announced by the department on 4 March 2026 and transferred on 6 March. It was ringfenced for the purchase of VAR equipment under an agreement between the department and Safa.

Safa’s amended three-year business plan, submitted on 28 February 2026, put the total cost of the project at about R54.7m over three financial years.

Key stages in the project

On 11 October 2024, the minister met Safa’s national executive committee (NEC) in Gqeberha. Safa formally endorsed the introduction of VAR at that meeting, with the department confirming the position in writing to the association’s president and chief executive the following day.

Safa issued a request for proposals on 8 April 2025, with the process closing on 21 April. Local and international providers submitted responses.

By the middle of 2025, a tender evaluation committee had been formed with four Safa representatives, two officials from the sports department and two members from the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

At the committee’s first meeting, it became clear that the project would first need to be aligned with FIFA’s VAR implementation assistance and approval programme. Countries cannot introduce VAR without FIFA approval, which requires a designated project team, a detailed plan and a confirmed technology provider.

Safa wrote to the minister on 12 August 2025 to confirm that appointing a VAR project team was its immediate priority and to seek guidance on available funding. On 3 September, the minister confirmed the R82m provision and urged the project to move quickly.

In November, Safa’s VAR project leader, former FIFA referee Daniel Bennett, led a technical mission to Spain. He was accompanied by the minister’s special adviser and three South African journalists invited to observe the work and provide public visibility.

The mission assessed one of four shortlisted global suppliers and observed live VAR operations, including at the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The technical assessment that followed was conducted by referees, with Bennett working alongside Victor Gomes, Jerome Damon and Safa’s head of referees, Abdul Ebrahim.

On 17 November 2025, the VAR project team announced a shortlist of four possible providers. Treasury approval for an initial allocation of more than R20m was also confirmed.

Pressure over implementation

A scheduled presentation by the VAR project team to the Safa NEC on 7 March 2026 was postponed. On 8 April, the department requested a written progress report, but none was supplied.

The NEC approved implementation of the project on 9 and 10 May, while deciding that its finance committee should first carry out a further examination of the budget before final approval. On 22 May, the NEC appointed a task team to conduct that review on behalf of the finance committee.

A virtual joint liaison committee meeting with the PSL took place on 2 June, followed by a presentation to the PSL executive committee.

On 13 July, Safa’s chief executive told the task team that none of the department’s funding had been used. The task team also raised questions about some budget items.

On 13 August, the director-general wrote to Safa expressing concern about the lack of a progress report and the absence of movement on implementation. Under the Public Finance Management Act, the department demanded the immediate repayment of the R20m.

Safa replied on 18 August, apologising for the delay, confirming that the full amount remained intact and unused, including the interest earned, and requesting up to 21 more days to complete its internal budget verification.

The director-general granted a final 21-day extension on 19 August and required a comprehensive report. The department warned that it reserved the right to take any decision it considered appropriate if the outstanding issues were not resolved satisfactorily.

What happens next?

The department said the funded implementation plan allows for match officials to begin training from July 2026, with the first experimental deployments scheduled for the 2026/27 Nedbank Cup semi-finals. Full implementation is planned for the 2027/28 season.

It added that a phased introduction during the current season remains possible if the procurement process is completed.

The department said it would publish further progress as it became available, arguing that the football public had a right to know.

Sowetan also encouraged readers to join its WhatsApp channel for the latest news.