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VAR malfunction disrupts Sundowns-FAR Champions League final at Loftus

Timeslive · · 224 words · By Sports Staff
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What to know about VAR malfunction disrupts Sundowns-FAR Champions League final at Loftus

A malfunction of the video assistant referee (VAR) has caused a disruption to Sunday’s 2025-26 Caf Champions League final first leg match between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR at Loftus Versfeld.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A malfunction of the video assistant referee (VAR) has caused a disruption to Sunday’s 2025-26 Caf Champions League final first leg match between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR at Loftus Versfeld.

Why it matters

AS FAR initially did not want to return from the change rooms for the second half because the Moroccan outfit learnt the VAR — the video system for reviewing match officials’ decisions — in the ground was not working.

Common ground

With Sundowns 1-0 up by halftime, there were intense deliberations between Confederation of African Football (Caf) officials, the match officials and representatives of both teams on the continuation of the game of huge consequence after the break.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-05-17-var-malfunction-disrupts-sun…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 7
info
Claim 1: “VAR was not called on for any of the first-half officiating decisions.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists of dictionary definitions and Wikipedia entries for the word 'no' and the 'no symbol', which are irrelevant to the match officiating.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The general prohibition sign, [1] also known informally as the no symbol, "do not" sign, circle-backslash symbol, nay, interdictory circle, and the prohibited symbol, is a red circle with a 45-degree …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_symbol
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1. not any, not a, or not one: there's no money left; no card in the file. 2. not by a long way; not at all: she's no youngster. 3. (followed by comparative adjectives and adverbs) not: no fewer than …
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/no
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — No is often used to indicate a straightforward denial, refusal, or the absence of something, whereas not is typically used to negate a verb, adjective, or another adverb, forming the negative of a sta…
https://www.grammarly.com/commonly-confused-words/no-vs-not
info
Claim 2: “A malfunction of the video assistant referee (VAR) has caused a disruption to Sunday’s 2025-26 Caf Champions League final first leg match between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR at Loftus Versfeld.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Web search results confirm that a CAF Champions League final first leg between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR was scheduled at Loftus Versfeld, but none of the provided evidence sources mention a VAR malfunction or disruption.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Key defender out of CAF Champions League final as AS FAR’s preparation plan for Mamelodi Sundowns revealed.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The timing of Mamelodi Sundowns losing their form defensively, on the back of injuries and suspensions amid a gruelling April and May programme, could not be worse as Sunday’s first leg of the 2025-26…
https://www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za/sport/2026-05-15-can…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The first leg will be played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, and the second leg will be hosted at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Complex in Rabat, where AS FAR will hope to finish the job in f…
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2026/04/289275/caf-reschedu…
info
Claim 3: “Aubrey Modiba had struck with a stunning free-kick to put Downs ahead in the 37th minute.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While Aubrey Modiba is mentioned as a player for Sundowns and one result mentions a 'magnificent seven' in a different Champions League stroll, there is no specific evidence confirming a 37th-minute free-kick goal in this specific match.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria, Gauteng that plays in the Premiership, the first tier of South African football league system…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamelodi_Sundowns_F.C.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — No pressure on second star – Aubrey Modiba backs Mamelodi Sundowns to deliver in CAF Champions League.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sundowns added another in the 59th minute, Sirino’s lay off was slotted into the net by Sipho Mbule, with the substitute’s first touch of the match giving him his first ever goal for Masandawana.
https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/soccer/local-soccer/sundowns…
info
Claim 4: “The second leg is in Rabat next Sunday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result mentions the second leg will be hosted at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Complex in Rabat, but does not explicitly confirm the 'next Sunday' date. Other results are dictionary definitions of the word 'second'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day, first into hours, then into minutes, and lastly into seconds, for a total of 24 × 60 × 60 = 86 400 seconds per day. That …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In science, a second is the time it takes for a caesium atom to vibrate 9,192,631,770 (around 9 billion) times. Scientists measure the second this way because the length of a day changes all the time.
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of SECOND is next to the first in place or time. How to use second in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second
info
Claim 5: “The game was delayed for about 20 minutes as FAR at first refused to continue, though they then decided to resume.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of search results for 'VRChat' and is completely irrelevant to the football match.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — VRChat game and discord and subreddits have their own rules and moderation. Do not subvert their moderation or create cross community drama in the subreddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/about/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Looking at the stats from the official vrchat player tracker, the player count has actually increased from 2020, it's just that people are no longer hanging out in public instances. It's honestly a re…
https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/17pgyj1/what_happen…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 7, 2023 · true r/VRchat Current search is within r/VRchat Remove r/VRchat filter and expand search to all of Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/10wc9my/missing_uni…
info
Claim 6: “With Sundowns 1-0 up by halftime”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source (Soccer Laduma) explicitly states Sundowns entered halftime with a 1-0 lead over AS FAR. Other results are either general or refer to different matches.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns entered the halftime break with 1-0 lead over AS FAR Rabat in the first leg of ...
https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/psl/mamelodi-sundowns/caf-cha…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns have balanced record against Moroccan clubs down the years.All complaints submitted have been reviewed and officially turned down. The match will pic.x.com/1var0mI0aO.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes that his team was denied a penalty in their Caf Champions League match against AS FAR Rabat on Saturday in Morocco.
https://www.goal.com/en-za/lists/manqoba-mngqithi-feels-mame…
info
Claim 7: “AS FAR initially did not want to return from the change rooms for the second half because the Moroccan outfit learnt the VAR — the video system for reviewing match officials’ decisions — in the ground was not working.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of search results for a street arts festival in Belgium ('FAR de Huy') and is completely irrelevant to the football match.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 19, 2026 · Un festival pour toutes et tous, entièrement gratuit ! Ouvrant la saison des festivals de rue en Belgique, le FAR de Huy propose, parmi la trentaine de spectacles programmés : 6 premièr…
https://latitude50.be/farhuy/presentation/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 19, 2026 · Il ouvre la saison des festivals des arts de la rue en Belgique. C’est le FAR, le Festival des Arts de la Rue de Huy qui se déroule durant ce week-end du 18 et 19 avril.
https://www.rtbf.be/article/10e-edition-du-far-les-arts-de-l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 15, 2026 · Le Far ouvre la saison et restitue l'espace urbain aux citoyens. Entre cirque, théâtre de rue et marionnettes, le week-end s'annonce radieux.
https://www.lalibre.be/culture/scenes/2026/04/15/cap-sur-le-…
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.