Manqoba Mngqithi, Lamontville Golden Arrows Head Coach during the Betway Premiership 2025/26 match between Kaizer Chiefs and Lamontville Golden Arrows at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 20 January 2026 ©Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix
Wednesday Jan 21, 2026. 13:00
Lamontville Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has called for the implementation of VAR in South Africa’s Betway Premiership after his side’s 1-0 loss to Kaizer Chiefs on Tuesday.
Steps have been taken towards the implementation of a VAR system in the country’s top league, with the government’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture working with the South Africa Football Association (SAFA) on a suitable system and roll-out.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture announced in November that SAFA’s VAR Project Leader, Mr Daniel Bennett, had visited and assessed Quality in Spain, one of the four shortlisted global VAR suppliers for the roll-out in South Africa. This was followed by a “kick-off meeting” with FIFA, outlining a roadmap for implementation. The department also stated that the Nedbank Cup semifinals and final would be used to test the system.
However, SAFA responded to the statement released by the department, stating the football governing body was the only organisation authorised to provide updates on the implementation of VAR in the country.
Since then, there has only been silence on the matter.
After his side fell for the fifth straight game in all competitions, Mngqithi called for progress on the matter of VAR.
“Yeah, man, it’s not what we’re looking for. And worse when we lose from an offside goal. But I do not want to blame the officials on this one,” said Mngqithi.
“I think it’s high time that the league looks at this thing differently. Because the reality is the game has become too dynamic. It’s very difficult for officials to follow every movement. And even ourselves, some of these things we see very late because we’ve had a chance of looking at the video footage. So we can’t expect referees to be able to be in touch with everything that happens in the game.”
Arrows conceded in the 39th minute from a set piece as Aiden McCarthy netted his first senior goal for Kaizer Chiefs. However, he did so from an offside position, which was not picked up by the officials.
“Because on the first ball that was played, Aiden [McCarthy] was not offside.
But when the ball touched [Flávio] Silva, Aiden was already offside. And that is an offside because he’s caught after that action. So the reality is the VAR is more than important,” Mngqithi said.
“We are not playing for R200 here, guys. We’re playing for R20 million. So it’s very important that we up our game. As the biggest league in Africa, we have to up our game.”
The 54-year-old emphasised that much rides on games, which can be better officiated through the implementation of VAR. He added that if South Africa wants the title of biggest league in Africa, something needs to be done.
“We are always saying we are the biggest league in Africa. And I just think we should step up. Whether the government is assisting or we assist ourselves because we are playing for serious money. And we have so much at stake. We lose our jobs and there’s so much that happens.”
By Nic Gleeson