Without the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to automate and improve football decision-making, Africa faces being left behind while the world plays a different game.



Africa faces being left behind the rest of the world if the slow implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) continues at the same slow pace, which will be bad news not only for the integrity of football, but also the continent’s match officials. That is the view of Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Referees Manager Felix Tangawarima after the organization recently introduced VAR for their Women’s Championship and held a workshop for referees in how to most effectively use the system.



Tangawarima is well-placed to comment; he is a Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA Instructor and very much at the forefront of modern trends in officiating.



He says VAR is becoming the norm at FIFA events at all levels – male and female – and if the continent’s top officials want to be selected for these assignments, they will need to have the necessary training and experience, something that is currently lacking.



“VAR is there within the laws of the game and it is not going anywhere, so it is important for us to embrace it,” Tangawarima tells FORBES AFRICA. “In the future, if you want to go to a World Cup (as a match official), you will have to have practiced with VAR.



“FIFA will come any day and say every game will be VAR, so we urge our member associations at COSAFA to get ready for that. FIFA are looking for licensed officials and we don’t want our referees to be left out.”



The reason why the uptake of VAR has been so slow in Africa is well-documented. It is hugely expensive to buy the equipment and it has to be fixed at stadiums and cannot be easily moved around.



That is a problem for so many clubs on the continent who do not own their own stadiums, but rent from municipalities.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="703" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied-703x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60832" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied-703x1024.jpg 703w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied-206x300.jpg 206w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied-768x1118.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied-1055x1536.jpg 1055w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied-1407x2048.jpg 1407w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/VAR-tech-for-football-image-supplied.jpg 1673w" sizes="(max-width: 703px) 100vw, 703px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Referee Maria Rivet checking VAR during the 2023 Hollywoodlbets COSAFA Womens 3rd/4th Playoff match between Zimbabwe and Mozambique at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria on 15 October 2023 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix</figcaption></figure></div>


Who is therefore responsible for the safe-keeping of this expensive equipment?



In terms of the South African Premier Soccer League, all the equipment is already in the country and waiting to be used, but the league has reportedly balked at the reported R40-million ($2.18 million) per season it will cost to run.



But a solution will have to be found or Africa faces being left in the dark ages in football terms, while the rest of the world plays a different game.



COSAFA hope their recent successful pilot project will show their own 14 member associations across southern Africa the way forward, and also the rest of the continent too.



“Our objective is to have as many referees registered and ready as possible,” Tangawarima says. “In the future we want to have VAR used in every game from the group stages of our tournaments. But the first step is to help the referees get licensed, so we must intensify the teaching they need and train as many as we can. The support we have had, which includes from FIFA and CAF, to help us, has been fantastic.



“COSAFA will be one of the first regions to implement VAR for its tournaments, though there are only some North African countries who have it already. So this is very exciting for us and the referees.”



COSAFA implemented the system fully from the semifinals onwards at the Women’s Championship in October, though behind-the-scenes, referees used the system as a training session.



They operated it as if it was live as part of their certification.



“For a referee to be licensed, they must have had 25 hours of training,” Tangawarima says. “We have done a five-day preparatory course, simply because a number of the referees were encountering VAR for the first time. The course includes theory, and of course practical.



“We tasked the project leader from FIFA (Mike van der Roest) with taking the referees through the theory part of it. We split the referees into two groups, the one on the field, the other in the booth using the VAR.



“Everyone is rallying behind this project, which will change the face of COSAFA.”

Football – 2023 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Womens Championship – COSAFA Referees VAR Workshop – Southern Sun Hotel

On A VAR Footing: Catching Up With The Game In Africa

Women’s football in the southern African region has picked up pace in recent years, benefiting from some ground-breaking work across all spheres of the sport. Sue Destombes is a key figure driving it. 



The Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) is leading the charge in women’s football, and particularly so, its Secretary General Sue Destombes, who has overseen the introduction of women’s competitions at Under-17 and Under-20 level, to go with a senior championship, in the last year.



COSAFA has 14 member nations across the region, and industry
veteran Destombes is a key figure in driving an ambitious expansion of its
operations that last year saw them host six international tournaments in four
different countries – South Africa, Mauritius, Malawi and Zambia.



Destombes was recently recognized for her contribution to
football with a Lifetime Achievement honor at the 2019 Hollard Sport Industry
Awards.



She has been involved with the organization since the first men’s senior COSAFA Cup was played in 1997, and leads a team that has a heavy female influence, along with the head of the COSAFA media office, Lynda Greeff, and long-serving office manager, Nobuhle Masuku, among others.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42741" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096-600x401.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19GCSM0096.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Sue Destombes COSAFA General Secretary with Janine Van Wyk South Africa Team Captain and Amanda Dlamini Former South Africa Captain help conduct the Draw during the 2019 COSAFA Women Championship Draw on the 03 July 2019 COSAFA House Pic Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix</figcaption></figure>



In what has been typically a male-dominated industry,
Destombes has managed to leave her mark not only on COSAFA, but also the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) and global governing body FIFA.



“I have never found being a women a barrier to entry in
football, and cannot remember any situation where I felt excluded because I am
a woman, but that does not mean there is not a ‘boys’ club’ environment,”
Destombes tells FORBES AFRICA.



“It is not a problem in the business of football, but maybe on a social level, yes, there can be some exclusion. But I don’t work in football for the social gatherings, so it does not bother me.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="738" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128-1024x738.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42742" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128-1024x738.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128-300x216.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128-600x432.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128-768x553.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128-1536x1106.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B19H2SS0128.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Sue Destombes, Cosafa General Secretary during the 2019 COSAFA U17 Boys draw at COSAFA House, Johannesburg, on 28 August 2019 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix</figcaption></figure>



Destombes says she is pleased that women are starting to
play a greater role in football administration, but says there is a long way to
go.



“In the 54 African member associations of FIFA, we only have
one female president in Isha Johansen from Sierra Leone. But we are slowly
starting to see a change in terms of female representation on executive
committees and even within the CAF secretariat.



“FIFA, for the first time in their 116-year history, have a
female Secretary General in Fatma Samoura (from Senegal), so maybe the boys’
club is being infiltrated slowly.”



Destombes has been determined to help grow the women’s game
in the COSAFA region – but not just for players. 



COSAFA’s mandate includes upskilling coaches, match
officials and even administrators, who all gain valuable experience, not only
from the tournaments that are played, but also from targeted workshops that
leave behind a lasting imprint in host cities across the region.



“We don’t just pitch up, play games and say goodbye,”
Destombes says. “We always leave a legacy in whichever country we are in. 



“We have done incredible work to develop male and female
referees across the region, many of who have gone on to make the FIFA panel. We
have put aspiring male and female coaches through courses to get their
D-License, which is really the first step in a coaching career.” 



Women’s football has been increasing in focus, with South Africa making the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019. Their coach, Desiree Ellis, has spoken multiple times of how COSAFA helped her mould her squad, and her own skills, by providing quality competition at tournaments. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="663" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070-1024x663.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42743" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070-300x194.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070-600x389.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070-768x498.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070-1536x995.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/B18IIRW0070.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Mongameli Bobani, Sue Destombes (Cosafa General Secretary) and Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Deputy Mayor Thsonono Buyeye during the 2018 Cosafa Women&#8217;s Championship Zambia team arrival at Port Elizabeth International Airport on 9 September 2018 © Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix</figcaption></figure>



“It has long been COSAFA’s wish to grow women’s football and
we have made great strides in recent times. Last year was the first in which we
held three women’s competitions in the various age-groups, and we will do that
again in 2020,” Destombes confirms.



“It is about providing opportunity to girls to both play the
game, or be involved in another capacity such as coaching and administration.”



The senior COSAFA Women’s Championship that was held in
South Africa’s Port Elizabeth last year drew bumper crowds, suggesting there is
plenty of interest in the female game from fans.



But finding commercial partners is more challenging, admits
Destombes.



“One of the new tournaments we want to implement is a
women’s club Champions League, for teams across the region. That would truly
catapult the development of the game. But it is dependent on finding commercial
partners.”



That is true for much of the work done by COSAFA. While they
do get funding from FIFA for tournaments, it is a finite amount and does not
come close to covering the expense.



“Our number one challenge is the financial aspect,”
Destombes says. “We are the biggest of the six CAF zones that make up the
continent, with the most members, and we would like to include everybody.



“For example, our women’s Under-17 and Under-20 competitions
had eight teams competing last year, and we would love to expand that to at
least 12 to provide greater opportunity. 



“But that is a huge leap in the budget, so we need commercial partners and bullish broadcasters who want this type of content.



&#8211; Nick Said

Tag: COSAFA

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

On A VAR Footing: Catching Up With The Game In Africa

‘The Boys Club Is Being Infiltrated Slowly’