VAR training for local referees

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Local referees will soon undergo training to be able to use the Video Assistant Referee programme according to the ZIFA Normalisation Committee.

ZIFA NC Chairperson Lincoln Mutasa said this while commissioning FIFA member association courses for referees and match commissioners in Harare. Mutasa said:

“There will be some training going on there but one of the conditions that we gave CAF is that we have VAR training in Zimbabwe for our referees because we understand it is actually coming to South Africa.

“So they agreed that next year, they will bring that VAR vehicle here to train our referees.

“We are doing this because we don’t want you to be left behind when we go to the 2026 World Cup.

Morocco became the first African country to use the VAR system in a top-flight league match in 2021.

VAR is a technology used in football matches to assist referees in making more accurate decisions.

It was introduced to help minimize errors in crucial situations and maintain fairness in the game.

VAR involves a team of video assistant referees who review key incidents in real time using video footage from multiple camera angles.

They have access to different camera angles and slow-motion replays to analyze incidents more thoroughly.

When a controversial incident occurs, such as a potential goal, a penalty decision, a red card incident, or cases of mistaken identity, the on-field referee can choose to consult VAR.

The referee makes a gesture of forming a TV screen with their hands to signal that they are seeking assistance from VAR.