Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has given Safa up to September 9 to submit their plan to unroll the VAR system in South African football, failure of which they should return the millions and allow him to explore other avenues.
SAFA has until September 9 to account for the R20 million allocated for VAR after the Sports Ministry confirmed the funds remain untouched.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture issued a detailed statement to clarify the funding and progress of the long-delayed project, which has come under increased scrutiny amid continued refereeing controversies in the Betway Premiership.
The R20 million was transferred to SAFA on March 6 after being announced two days earlier. SAFA confirmed in writing on August 18 that the full amount remains intact and unutilised in a separate account, together with the interest earned.
The only public money spent on the VAR project to date is R765,257.03, which covered a technical fact-finding mission to Spain in November 2025.
