The General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Prosper Harrison Addo, has shed light on the delay in implementing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the Ghana Premier League.
VAR was initially expected to be introduced during the ongoing season, but its rollout has faced setbacks.
Speaking in an interview with 3Sports, Mr. Addo assured that the GFA remains committed to bringing VAR into the league to enhance officiating standards.
“We are on the journey to acquiring VAR, but some countries have more financial resources than others, allowing them to progress faster. VAR is not something you can simply purchase; there are several steps involved, including training for referees and VAR technicians. We have been working with FIFA on this process,” Addo explained.
He further revealed that while FIFA had initially engaged member associations to introduce VAR, the high costs made it challenging to implement.
As a result, FIFA is now working with a partner company to develop a more affordable “VAR Light” system, which will take time to deploy.
“Since the full VAR system is costly, we are opting for the second option, but our referees have already undergone some level of VAR training,” Addo added.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Premier League, which has been suspended for the past three weeks following the tragic stabbing of a fan in Nsoatre, is set to resume on March 7.
To ensure a safer match environment, the GFA has introduced stricter security measures to curb hooliganism and protect fans and officials.