The Premier Soccer League chairman, Irvin Khoza, has revealed what is delaying their plans to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the competition.
Khoza said they are still discussing the technological and cost aspects as they hope to have VAR in PSL. The discussion over the introduction of the video referee is still ongoing between the league organisers, the South African Football Association (Safa) and the referee employer's body.
What has been said
"There’s an issue of phasing it in, which comes first. There’s also an issue with goal-line [technology], which we need to address, as well as offside, but as I said, there’s the issue of cost," Khoza told the media on Thursday.
"If this VAR is going to be centrally controlled or decentralised… there was a discussion about it. It should be discussed in the next joint liaison committee [between PSL and Safa] because the issue of referees resides with Safa."
Although Khoza acknowledges the VAR decisions could irritate people, he largely believes it is going to improve the state of the league.
"It’s a good thing to have to enhance the product," he added.
"It could ensure that technically we’re sound, in making sure that people are satisfied. Although they’re not satisfied sometimes in Europe because when you say there’s an offside with the millimetre judgment, it’s something some of us can’t see. It makes people irritated.
"But it’s a reality and it eradicates dissatisfaction. Even rugby does that - they show you all the different angles before a call is made, which is also good for the supporters to be satisfied with the decision. That’s why there are no fights in the stands.
"So for us, we’re welcoming it but we’re trying to do the mitigation in terms of costs and implementation to make sure that it becomes a reality and we’re in line with the rest of the world."
Backpagepix
The call for the introduction of the video referee was heightened over the weekend after a penalty drama in the Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns MTN8 encounter on Sunday.
Chiefs' goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune looked to have cleared Lyle Lakay's penalty after the ball had crossed the line, and Sundowns' Kennedy Mweene was the first to protest the decision not to award his teammate the goal.
