Sandile Zungu vows to push for VAR if elected SAFA president

Sandile Zungu says he will make the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) a priority if he is elected president of the South African Football Association (SAFA), insisting there will be “no excuses” if delays are the federation’s responsibility.

Zungu, who is challenging Danny Jordaan for the SAFA presidency, said he could not yet provide a specific timetable because he needed to understand the process in greater detail. However, he made clear that he would support the quickest possible implementation of the technology.

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has already been applying pressure on SAFA to complete the process. The minister has provided funding to help begin the introduction of VAR and has called on the federation to make progress.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Zungu argued that VAR was necessary to protect the integrity of South African football, particularly as the season reaches its most decisive stages.

“It’s very important. All of us here support one or another professional team. When the season starts, officiating is fine. But as the season progresses, as positions in the top eight and in the relegation begin to be criticised, you see some odd behaviour. If the VAR was there, such decisions would not have stood. So VAR is there to assist in situations like that,” Zungu said.

He said controversial decisions could have major sporting and financial consequences for clubs involved in relegation battles.

“Trust me, if you get relegated from the PSL and you blame it on VAR, you lose a lot of value. Your enterprise loses a lot of value. It’s unfair on the notion of fans and justice in soccer. We need VAR.”

VAR is already a standard feature in many of the world’s leading football competitions. Zungu questioned why South Africa should remain behind those leagues and said he would not accept avoidable delays if SAFA was responsible.

“In any case, in major leagues in the world, VAR has become standard. Why must we lag behind? As to how long it will take, I will be pushing for it. If the fault is on the side of SAFA, I will make sure that there are no excuses. I cannot impose a deadline or a timeline because I need to get close to the situation. But I will be on the side of those who say we need it sooner rather than later,” he added.

Zungu also identified the relationship between SAFA and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) as a key factor in delivering the project successfully. He said the two organisations needed to work more closely together and warned that conflict between them would ultimately damage the game.

“We need to develop a much stronger relationship between SAFA and the PSL on the implementation of VAR. There’s no question about it. If there is a poor working relationship, it is the grass that suffers. The passion of football,” Zungu concluded.

The SAFA elective congress will take place on Saturday, when the organisation’s president for the next four-year term will be confirmed.