SAFA Raises Ambitions by Bringing in Refereeing Great Pierluigi Collina to Help With VAR

• The video assistant referee is increasingly seemingly likely in South African football
• The South African Football Association is determined to implement this much-needed perk in officiating
• The organisation has gone as far as roping in the legendary former FIFA referee Pierluigi Collina

The South African Football Association is quite serious about implementing the video assistant referee in local football.

According to the latest report, the organisation has brought on board the great refereeing legend Pierluigi Collina to help with this implementation.

According to the Sunday World, SAFA president met with Collina as per an article on its website. The news came hot on the heels of the association bringing former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to the table, seeking his assistance in helping the national teams in becoming more competitive globally.

PSL and SAFA at war over VAR

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There can never be peace for too long between the South African Football Association and the Premier Soccer League.

This time, the two organisations are reportedly arguing over who will be in charge of implementing the video assistant referee system in the league, and other ones at a later date. It appears that what does not work in SAFA's favour is that PSL has money to burn, putting the latter in the position to implement VAR independently.

However, the former is the custodian of all referees in South Africa, so there would be technicalities that would prove difficult for the PSL to overcome. Also, only four officials in South Africa are trained in using VAR at the moment, with one of them, Victor Gomes, having recently retired.

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Ngcobo targets VAR implementation

It is fitting that Andile 'Ace' Ngcobo's other nickname is 'VAR'.

The legendary former FIFA referee earned this nickname for his contribution on local television when reviewing refereeing flashpoints from the previous week's matches. He is now back in the Premier Soccer League as its general manager, which could be significant when it comes to the video assistant referee.

SowetanLIVE reported that the league, the South African Football Association and the custodian of referees, will work hard to ensure the eventual implementation of the much-needed system in the country.