Premier Soccer League chairman Dr Irvin Khoza has thrown his support behind the introduction of Video Assistant Referee technology in South African football, while making clear that the responsibility for rolling it out does not sit with the PSL.
Speaking during a visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the league's offices, as reported by KickOff, Khoza addressed growing frustration over a weekend of refereeing controversies. "VAR is not our competence; it is the competence of SAFA. We started the VAR talk in 2009 as PSL, but it was taken over by SAFA," he said, adding that the South African Football Association now manages the committee overseeing the technical implementation of the system.
Khoza said the PSL is waiting for a final assessment before the league can move forward with the hardware and training required. "They have got a committee that is dealing with it right now. We are waiting for a report back to make sure it works," he said.
The chairman stressed that the league remains fully committed to the transition, even as he acknowledged some reservations about how it could change the culture around officiating. "We are supporting it. We want it at all costs on all sides. It must work, but it takes away the human factor of people talking and discussing," he said.
Despite that caveat, Khoza was unequivocal about the PSL's readiness. "But it must come. We are ready for it as PSL," he declared, placing the onus on SAFA to deliver the technology.
Safa CEO Lydia Monyepao said in mid-October that full VAR implementation across South African football would cost more than R50 million as part of a three-year plan, clarifying that an earlier R20 million from the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture covered only the first year of procurement, with the second year earmarked for referee training. She noted that figure excludes the PSL's own operational costs, which had not yet been calculated, and that Safa had not yet awarded the procurement tender despite receiving bids.
