VAR course concludes with referees urged to embrace technology

The five-day FIFA Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Workshop in Lusaka has officially concluded with participating referees encouraged to uphold the highest levels of integrity and fully embrace VAR technology as part of modern football officiating.

A total of 40 referees took part in the pioneering workshop, which was the first of its kind in East, Central, and Southern Africa. The course, held under the guidance of FIFA VAR Instructor Carlos Astroza, FIFA IT Technology Support and COSAFA Football VAR Technology expert Ramy Gamal and COSAFA Referees Manager Felix Tangawarima, aimed at equipping referees with the necessary skills to effectively utilize VAR in their officiating.

Tangawarima emphasized the importance of integrity in officiating, stating that VAR should be seen as a tool to enhance accuracy and fairness.

“We must not have questionable integrity as referees, we need referees who are upright. As a trained FIFA integrity officer, I need people who are upright. VAR is coming, you will be left behind, so let’s uphold our integrity as referees, let’s do our best because you are the best and you can be anything you want be as long as you do the right thing,” Tangawarima said.

“We are very happy as COSAFA. I want to thank the management of COSAFA for coming up with this project which is going to draw the attention of the entire Africa because VAR was in North Africa, but now we are starting from Southern Africa and going up. We will be there.”

FIFA Instructor Carlos Astroza echoed similar sentiments, urging referees to embrace technology with an open mind and continue refining their skills to ensure smooth implementation.

“We have to understand that VAR has come to stay, there is no way back. More and more countries are accepting the challenge to implement the technology and I congratulate Zambia for taking this giant step. You referees are the ones to take charge of this tool because you are the technical experts,” Astroza told the participants.

“This is a first step of the long process, the implementation may take months but the process of learning and improving is constant, it’s a never-ending exercise.”

The workshop also aligns with COSAFA’s vision to implement VAR across all its tournaments in 2025, while locally, the Zambian Super League is set to introduce the technology in the upcoming 2025/26 season. The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that Zambian referees are well-prepared for this transition.

COSAFA Football VAR Technology expert Ramy Gamal described the workshop as a landmark moment for Zambian football, noting that the training will significantly elevate the standard of officiating in the domestic league and beyond.

“You need to be proud of this moment, because to come to Zambia to train referees at a time when VAR is difficult to bring in Africa (is an achievement). When you have this chance, don’t lose time.”