VAR will aid referees but cannot end football debates, says Jordaan

SAFA president Dr Danny Jordaan says the introduction of VAR will improve decision-making and player safety, but will not end arguments over controversial incidents such as the penalties awarded during the MTN8 final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

Referee Abongile Tom was involved in two major decisions during the match, which Sundowns won 2-0. Pirates were awarded a penalty early in the second half after Teboho Mokoena appeared to make a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge on Yanela Mbuthuma.

Sundowns were then given a late penalty in stoppage time after Siyanda Ndlovu went to ground inside the area following a tussle with Thapelo Mokobodi. The decision was widely viewed as a soft award and ensured the final ended amid controversy.

Speaking at a media briefing hosted by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, where SAFA provided an update on the implementation of VAR, Jordaan said the technology would not provide unanimous answers on subjective decisions.

“VAR won’t settle the disputes, whether it was a penalty or not. You saw even in the World Cup, they showed VAR over and over and they still had a debate. You’re not going to stop debating,” he said.

“If it was a penalty or not, VAR is not going to convince them. VAR will assist them.”

Jordaan said VAR’s most important role would be to bring incidents to the referee’s attention when they occur away from the official’s immediate view.

“What is important in VAR, if you look at it, why was Themba Zwane sent off at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? The referee did not see it. VAR brought the attention to the referee,” he said.

He added that players in the PSL and NFD would soon have to adjust to the fact that off-the-ball incidents could be reviewed, even when they believed the referee had not seen them.

“Very soon players in the PSL, in the NFD, will understand that no longer can I kick the player behind the referees’ eyes,” Jordaan said.

“Because a lot of injuries occur when players think that the referee is not looking, so there will be a 360 (degree) view of the match by the referee and VAR and that will help to protect the players and to modernize the game.”

A similar incident occurred during the MTN8 final when Mbuthuma kicked Sundowns midfielder Tashreeq Matthews while Tom was unable to see the action. Former FIFA referee Victor Hlungwani later described the incident as “violent conduct” and said on SABC Sport’s Soccer Zone review show that the former Richards Bay striker should have been sent off.