Safa set to trial VAR during Nedbank Cup semi-finals
South African football is set to trial the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the Nedbank Cup semi-finals in April 2026, with the SA Football Association appointing a project team and Minister Gayton McKenzie advocating for the full VAR system amid concerns over a ‘VAR Lite’ version. Picture: Javier Soriano/AFP
Image: Javier Soriano/AFP
South African football is finally embracing technology as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is set to be trialled during the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.
The fixtures, though, are only set to take place in April next year.
According to All Soccer News, the SA Football Association (Safa) has already appointed a VAR project team, with the system to be trialled for the first time in the country during the cup semis in 2026.
SA football has been crying out for the introduction of VAR for ages now, many years after it was used for the first time in the English Premier League in the 2019/2020 season.
SA Minister of Sport and Recreation Gayton McKenzie Promises VAR Implementation Amid Concerns Over ‘VAR Lite’
SA Minister of Sport and Recreation Gayton McKenzie has also been promising the use of VAR.
McKenzie has already sent Safa VAR project leader Daniel Bennett to Spain to meet with one of four possible suppliers of the technology.
More recently, there has been talk of a ‘VAR Lite’ version being offered to SA, which is somewhat concerning.
Bennett said via SABC Sport: "When I get back on Monday, I will have an urgent meeting because on Tuesday, there will be a portfolio meeting with VAR, likely to be one of the key points of the discussion, and so all of our ducks have to be in a row for that meeting.
"We need the full VAR. VAR Lite is just a lighter version of the full offering, requiring only four cameras. That system won't support our league; the PSL needs full VAR, and what we saw yesterday at Quality Media was a very good system which is going to go into our melting pot. Now it's all about working out costing and budgeting.”