Miguel Cardoso calls for VAR to protect referees in South African football

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has called for the introduction of video assistant refereeing (VAR) in South African football, saying the technology could help reduce mistakes and protect match officials.

The Portuguese coach was speaking after Sundowns reached the MTN8 final with a 3-2 victory over Golden Arrows in their semi-final on Sunday.

The match produced several talking points, including the decision to disallow what appeared to be a legitimate Sundowns goal.

Cardoso has previously voiced his frustration over refereeing decisions involving his side but believes officials should not be subjected to excessive criticism.

“I think that mistakes can happen for everybody,” Cardoso told reporters.

“I think that Minister McKenzie finally agrees with me, that surely VAR should correct the mistakes.

“We should protect the referees by establishing VAR. It’s simple as that.”

Cardoso also acknowledged that the technology could sometimes work against Sundowns, pointing to an incident involving one of his players that he felt could have resulted in a red card had VAR been available.

“There were moments already this season that probably VAR would have penalised myself and my team,” he said.

“There was, for example, an unfortunate action from one of my players that should have been given a red card.”

However, Cardoso argued that other teams had also benefited from decisions that could have been overturned with the use of VAR.

He referred to Sundowns’ opening fixture against Polokwane City as an example.

“There were many other opponents that should have been given a red card. I just want you to remember Polokwane City’s match as the first fixture of this competition,” he said.

“Let’s not judge the people that have a whistle in their hands, because sometimes we also need to protect them.

“Let’s just create conditions so that we all can work as best as possible in the best interest of the game, of the football and of South Africa.”