Safa appoints Victor Gomes chairperson of National Referees Committee

The South African Football Association (Safa) has appointed respected former Fifa referee Victor Gomes as chairperson of the National Referees Committee.

Safa president Danny Jordaan confirmed the news during a national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Kempton Park on Friday, where a raft of key decisions, among them prioritising VAR, establishing a schools' league and matters related to Vision 2023 were announced.

“I want to thank the president of Safa and the whole of NEC for the trust they have shown in me,” Gomes said.

“I want to assure them that the same effort and commitment that I had, I will implement here. It is still early days, but all I can say is that the same trust you had in me on the field of play is the same commitment I will offer this department, the association and our country.

One of Gomes’ priorities is the implementation of long-overdue VAR in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), which may be introduced as soon as the start of next season.

“Obviously we will engage with the relevant stakeholders. This is something I have already addressed the NEC on and it’s going to be on my priority list.”

Gomes added that he retired from full-time refereeing to make way for up-and-coming officials.

“I would not do justice to football if I carried on. We have other top, promising referees coming through the system.

“I think I need to give back to football and God has provided me with this opportunity to give back. I have officiated in every single match at the highest level. I want to give a challenge to the next to do better than I did.”

Explaining the decision to appoint Gomes, Jordaan said: “He has reached retirement as far as refereeing is concerned and therefore we thought it was good for him, given the experience after he officiated at the highest level and gauged from the best officials in the world that he is the right person to lead and direct refereeing in our country.

“Gomes came into the NEC and they engaged with him, and in the end the NEC agreed that he is the right person to be appointed as head of the referees.

“We are very happy that he is ready to serve the country and continue to make a contribution in key areas of refereeing.”