Sport, Arts and Culture concludes successful fact-finding mission to Spain to fast-track introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in football

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has concluded a successful fact-finding mission to Spain as part of Minister Gayton McKenzie’s commitment to fast-tracking the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology into South African football.

Earlier this week, DSAC arranged an official trip for South African Football Association (SAFA) VAR Project Leader, Mr Daniel Bennett, accompanied by the Minister’s Special Advisor Mr Charles Cilliers, to assess the operations of Quality – one of four VAR Project- shortlisted global VAR suppliers.

To ensure transparency and public insight into the progress of the project, the department also invited three South African journalists to observe and report on the mission firsthand.

On Friday, Bennett met with Mr Pablo Reyes, President of Quality, at the company’s headquarters in Madrid. Quality currently executes VAR operations for Spain’s elite women’s league (Femenino) and provides services in several countries across Central America and Asia.

Bennett conducted an extensive inspection of the organisation’s centralised VAR Hub, a remote production facility equipped with the full operational infrastructure required for end-to-end VAR delivery. The delegation observed live video-support and broadcast operations during a women’s Primera Federación Division 2 match.

Bennett was impressed with the infrastructure and with FIFA’s commendation of the company’s compliance standards.

On Saturday, Bennett travelled to Barcelona to observe a live remote production workflow and transmission of the women’s fixture between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium. This provided real-time insight into Quality’s broadcast and VAR integration capabilities.

On Sunday, the delegation visited the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) headquarters in La Rozas, where Bennett viewed a full VAR operation inside the RFEF Video Operations Room during the Spanish second division’s matches, observing Hawkeye technology.

Four potential companies have been shortlisted as potential service providers:

• Quality (Spain)
• Hawkeye Innovations (United Kingdom)
• MediaPro (Portugal)
• Rigour (China)

Bennett has previously visited the English Premier League VAR Hub and worked with MediaPro during continental club competitions. He has also recognised Rigour’s strong reputation in the global market.

Quality has already delivered VAR systems in Costa Rica, Honduras, Thailand, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama.

A “kick-off meeting” with FIFA is scheduled in coming days, where SAFA’s team will outline the roadmap for VAR implementation in South Africa.

Bennett has confirmed that the next phase involves final quotations for hardware, software and operational costs.

Minister McKenzie recently announced that National Treasury has approved an initial allocation of more than R20 million to support the rollout.

“Next year you will be seeing VAR,” the Minister said. “When we introduce it, it must be foolproof, and our referees must understand it.”

The aim is to pilot the technology in the Nedbank Cup semifinals and final next year. South Africa already has several CAF- and FIFA-certified VAR officials capable of supporting a soft launch.

The project forms part of DSAC’s broader mandate to strengthen integrity, fairness and technological advancement across South African sport.

“Our players, officials and fans deserve correct decisions,” Bennett has said. “South Africa has one of the best leagues on the continent and it is time we join the world’s leading competitions in implementing VAR.”

For media enquiries:

Ms Stacey-Lee Khojane, Spokesperson: Office of the Minister of Sport,
Arts and Culture
Email: StaceyK@dsac.gov.za 
Cell: +27 77 608 7579

Ms Zimasa Velaphi, Head of Communication and Marketing: Department of Sport,
Arts and Culture
Email: ZimasaV@dsac.gov.za 
Cell: +27 (0) 72 172 8925

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