VAR or better referees: What South African soccer needs more
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VAR or better referees: What South African soccer needs more
Sep 16, 2026 – 06:54 pm
By Chad Nagel
Is the Premier Soccer League one of the best competitions on the continent?
The sheer financial pull it generates, the players it exports, and the massive crowds for derby games could suggest so.
However, Delmain Faver had another take during episode 11 of The CarWash Podcast.
READ | PSL salary myths: What players earn versus fan perceptions
Considering goal-line technology and VAR being the standard in the English Premier League, is South African football actually being left behind?
The views of co-hosts Linda Mntambo, Teko Modise, and Brighton Mhlongo, along with special guest Roger Feutmba, show how varied the arguments for and against the PSL’s adoption of high-tech systems in the local league.
Mntambo, popularly known as Figo, believes the most important factor is whether South Africa is ready for the latest tech.
He said that mistakes were bound to happen, with or without VAR, and the focus should instead be on what the league and other domestic structures can control.
Figo’s argument touched on a personal anecdote: growing up with a single mother, who was unable to watch him play, teaching him to stop comparing himself to other people and focus on himself.
Using this analogy in the context of the PSL, he would rather see stadiums filled, sponsorships increased, and revenue improved before league administrators start talking about new technology.
Feutmba, conversely, believes the VAR in the Premiership will be inevitable.
He admitted that the absence of this technology had cost him results and had also benefitted him at other times, and said the process would need to be gradual and correctly handled.
Mhlongo took the conversation in a different direction, believing that the standard of officiating was the heart of the matter and needs to improve.
His solution was the professionalising of referees and ensuring parallel systems were in place, to avoid handing these tools to officials who were not prepared.
Mhlongo also openly addressed the speculation around ‘brown envelopes’ and the bribery allegations that have dogged South African soccer for years.
Compared to others on the panel, Modise had the harshest criticism of the PSL refereeing standards, to the point where commentating on games had become uncomfortable.
He believes South Africa is competing on higher levels, such as the CAF CL and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, yet the level of officiating was holding everything back.
Modise’s argument also raised an interesting overlap: refereeing in South Africa does not have a single clear oversight body, between SAFA and the respective associations, making reviewing or sanctioning officials more complicated.
The panel seemed to all agree that PSL refereeing is not consistent, and the debate focused more on which mattered more to soccer in the country: fixing the product, improving the role of officials, or prioritising both based on the urgency factor.
That remains the crucial question, and one the PSL will find itself pressured to answer as more refereeing controversies arise.