Kenyan referees will get an opportunity to learn more about the use of VAR during a CAF VAR Academy workshop in Tanzania next month.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) is launching the CAF Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Academy for the 54 CAF Member Associations, a move that is aimed at elevating the standards of officiating in Africa.
This follows the successful 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which was lauded for the quality of officiating, and CAF is keen to build on that success with the innovative academy set to be rolled out between September and October 2024.
The CAF VAR Academy will train elite referees across the continent for international competitions and national championships on the use of VAR and ensure that Africa continues to produce elite referees, as seen in recent times.
“In the last few months, CAF has had a strong bias in upskilling match officials on the usage of VAR that is why at the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, our officials were rated amongst the best. But it does not help having a small group, we need a big pool,” said CAF Technical Development Director, Raul Chipenda.
“Officiating plays a critical role in the development of African football, as evidently seen in the success of the recent TotalEnergies CAF AFCON. CAF actively oversees and supports a number of football development programmes and competitions across Africa and with that said, it is equally vital that match officials across Africa are adequately equipped with the latest officiating technology, means and education in order to remain on par with the existing pool of officials on the continent.”
The CAF VAR Academy, which will be attended by elite referees across CAF’s 54 member associations, will also be the first step in introducing VAR across the continent.
As part of its rollout programme, CAF will be embarking on a continental drive of conducting CAF VAR Academy workshops across its zonal unions where 180 referees are expected to be reached.
Tanzania will play host to referees from the the CECAFA region from September 30-October 5 as the neighouring country also gears up to introduce the technology in the Tanzanian Premier League.
Kenya is still far from using VAR but CAF feels training match officials on its use will not only boost Africa’s capacity to use the technology but also enable the referees easily handle international assignments.
