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Safa ‘has received funding’ from government to implement VAR

Sowetan · · 310 words · By Mahlatse Mphahlele
Sports Governance Technological Modernization in Football Government Funding
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/sport/2026-05-12-safa-has-received-funding-from-govern…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

6 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 1
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“South African Football Association (Safa) finance committee chair Mxolisi Sibam has confirmed the body has received the R20m in funding from the government to implement video assistant referee (VAR).”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (Mihlali Baleka/Google News, iDiski Times, and SA People) confirm that SAFA finance committee chair Mxolisi Sibam stated the body received R20 million in government funding for VAR.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African Football Association (SAFA) is the national administrative governing body that controls the sport of football in the South Africa and is a member of the Confederation of African Foot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Football_Associa…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Football, or soccer, as it is usually called in South Africa, is the nation's most popular sport followed by rugby union and cricket. The governing body is the South African Football Association (SAFA…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international football and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. Nic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“the association says it is targeting the beginning of next season to roll out the technology that is long overdue in the Betway Premiership”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources report the target for implementation is the next season, with Gayton McKenzie and Mxolisi Sibam both referencing the upcoming season for the PSL/Betway Premiership.
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web search NEUTRAL — The call for VAR in the Betway Premiership has intensified after a number of high-profile blunders. Early last season, Kaizer Chiefs felt they were robbed during a league encounter againt Mamelodi Sun…
https://themercury.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/2025-06-08-gayton-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sibam further confirmed that SAFA has received R20 million from the Sports Ministry to fund this VAR implementation. He said the process to get this refereeing tool up and running started seven months…
https://www.sapeople.com/sport/safa-confirms-plans-to-implem…
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web search NEUTRAL — body is ahead of the defender, how will you see that with a naked eye?” McKenzie further stated that his department has paid SAFA the necessary funds to implement VAR in the Premier Soccer League from…
https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/betway-premiership/mckenzie-we…
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“Money is in the bank and I want to confirm that it is in a separate account that doesn’t include all the other transactions of Safa”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results explicitly quote Mxolisi Sibam stating the money is in the bank and held in a separate account from other SAFA transactions.
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web search NEUTRAL — Safa has confirmed the receipt of R20 million from the Department of Sport to finally bring VAR to South Africa.The money is in the bank,” Sibam said. “I also want to state that it is in a separate ba…
https://thestar.co.za/sport/soccer/bafana/2026-05-10-safa-co…
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web search NEUTRAL — The R80-million project wasn’t rushed. McKenzie revealed that the department and SAFA conducted extensive international benchmarking, engaging with La Liga President Javier Tebas in Spain and Premier …
https://www.panafricafootball.com/post/var-funding-has-been-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie told Parliament that government is still finalising the process of funding VAR, raising doubts about whether the technology will be ready in time for the upcoming PSL s…
https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/2025-07-16-where-is-var-g…
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“Work has been going on for the past seven months”
CORROBORATED
Multiple reports cite Sibam stating that the process to get the tool running started seven months ago.
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web search NEUTRAL — They have funded… they have given us R20 million to implement VAR,” said Sibam as per SABC Sport. “And we are in the process, at this current NEC meeting that is going on now, we are going to finalise…
https://www.sapeople.com/sport/safa-confirms-plans-to-implem…
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web search NEUTRAL — VAR has already drawn fierce criticism from fans, pundits and the media alike for its inconsistent usage, confusing laws and the time it takes for a decision to be reached.
https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/03/02/la-liga-set-var-technol…
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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCkmC8rohA
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“Safa will work closely with the PSL to establish VAR.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm Sibam's statement that SAFA will work closely with the PSL as they are the primary end user.
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web search NEUTRAL — Soccer.Sibam said Safa will work closely with the PSL to establish VAR. “There will be contact with the PSL because they will be the end user, but it is not only them who will be the end user. We also…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-05-11-safa-has…
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web search NEUTRAL — View the final Premier Soccer League 2025/2026 table, team form data and points tallies with GOAL.
https://www.goal.com/en-za/premier-soccer-league/table/yv73m…
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web search NEUTRAL — South Africa Premier Soccer League. FIFA World Cup.Belgian Cup. Europe. Premier League. Ligue 1. Primeira Liga.
https://www.camellive.top/r/competitions
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“We also have the Super League for women football and our national finals.”
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While the claim appears in the text of one web search result quoting Sibam, the other search results for 'Super League' returned irrelevant results (movies, etc.), meaning only one specific news source corroborates this detail.
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web search NEUTRAL — Super received mixed reviews from critics, who debated the moral ambiguity, violence and messages, but still received praise for the acting, tone, writing and humor.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_(2010_American_film)
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web search NEUTRAL — Super.com helps you save on hotels, get cash advances, and make extra money! Upgrade to Super+ and put even more money in your pocket!
https://www.super.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of SUPER is of high grade or quality. How to use super in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/super
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.