The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used in the final phase of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Gianni Infantino, the President of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has said.
Infantino has disclosed that FIFA and CAF will use the technology in the play-off to improve officiating in those matches.
Speaking at the extraordinary general assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt Infantino said FIFA is making efforts to enhance the quality of matches and the introduction of VAR is one of the measures.
“The final stage of the African World Cup qualifiers will see an improvement in refereeing performance due to the use of VAR,” said Infantino.
The President of CAF, Patrice Motsepe who is a South African refused to comment on the specific case of Ghana versus South Africa but promised investment in officiating.
“We are going to invest in the competitions because our competitions are everything,” said Motsepe.
“That’s why the announcement that we are making today regarding referees is critically important. Africa has got good referees, and we have got world-class referees. We’ve also got referees who are not so good.
“Then we’ve also got referees who are even further from not so good, but they all try. We want to train them, and also pay them good money and look after them. So that they can make a career out of being referees.”
Ghana defeated South Africa 1-0 at the Cape Coast Stadium on November 14, 2021, via a controversial penalty.
Defender Daniel Amartey earned Ghana the penalty which was converted by skipper Andre Ayew on the 33rd minute.
South Africa took issues with the decision by referee Ndiaye and petitioned FIFA to probe what they perceive to be match manipulation.
According to SAFA, the referee was compromised and thus ruled the game in favour of the host team.
The Ghana Football Association has meanwhile disputed the claims and emphasized the Black Stars deserved victory.
It is expected FIFA will issue a verdict on the game in the coming days.
The draw for the play-off will be held in January next year after the Africa Cup of Nations.
The ten countries that have qualified include Ghana, Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia.
