LISTEN: African referees learn to use video assistant referee (VAR) technology at Benoni Northerns

Having hosted training camps for teams like Free State Stars and the South African men’s national u-23 teams in the recent past, Benoni Northerns Sports Club is no stranger to welcoming big football events and teams to their grounds.

Last week the club hosted the practical sessions of a four-day Confederation of African Football (CAF) Video Assistant Referee (VAR) workshop at their main football grounds.

The VAR is a football assistant referee who reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and a headset for communication.

Over 40 match officials from 32 different African countries attended the workshop with technical sessions in Kempton Park and the practical (in-game) VAR sessions at Northerns.

The course was led by David Elleray, technical director at the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that determines the ‘Laws of the Game’ of association football.

Elleray is a former English referee who officiated in nearly 200 English Premier League matches.

The experienced referee spoke to the City Times on March 29 and said: “We are doing the initial stages of educating a number of top CAF referees and assistant referees so that in the future they can move towards operating with VAR in CAF competitions.

“In my role of technical director I was responsible for writing the handbooks for VARs.

“We experimented with it for two years and on the basis of almost 2 000 competitive matches and then approved it into the Laws of the Game.

“We are now working with or are in contact with more than 70 countries worldwide about them potentially using it in their competitions.”

Asked if VAR was created to completely eradicate controversial decisions in major matches, Elleray said: “You’ll never get rid of controversy in football.

“VAR is there to eliminate the errors by the match officials where they relate to a goal, a red card or a penalty kick.

“It’s not to re-referee the game.

“It is just to stop that big mistake where everyone says ‘how could he have possibly missed that?’ or ‘how could he have given that?’

“We don’t want to interrupt the essential flow and emotion of football, so we’re just looking at eradicating some of those big horror decisions.”

Asked what some of the challenges have been since the implantation of VAR, Elleray said: “The challenge is using the technology and getting it set up.

“The referees are working under a lot of pressure and we liken it a little bit to driving a car.

“The first time you get in a car it’s all complicated and in time you get used to it.

“Some of the referees are very good at looking at a replay and seeing exactly what has happened while some are not so good.

“This course is partly trying to find out who can be good VARs in the future for CAF.

“The guys have worked very hard and are focused.

“We have had some theory sessions and a lot of practical sessions.

“The children from Highlands Park Football Club have been the players in practical sessions, creating penalties and creating controversy for us to deal with.

“They’ve been very good as well.

“Our great hosts, Benoni Northerns, have been fantastic.

“The facilities have been attractive and Rodney Farrell [Benoni Northerns Football Club chairperson] has been wonderful.

“You ask him for anything and it happens.

“The fields are good, the players cooperate and everybody welcomes us, so it’s been a real pleasure being here.”

LISTEN to the Caxton Radio interview with David Elleray here:

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