France-based Warriors captain Marshall Munetsi says the Confederation of African Football (CAF) should introduce video assistant referees (VAR).
Munetsi made the call during a post-match press conference following the Warriors’ 0-2 home loss against Lesotho at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday.
A Video Assistant Referee is a match official in association football who assists the referee by reviewing decisions using video footage and providing advice based on those reviews. The VAR team monitors the game remotely using multiple screens.
Munetsi believes the absence of VAR contributed to the Warriors’ loss to the Crocodiles. He said:
We need VAR, especially in African football, because even to talk to the referee is a difficult thing. You try to ask him anything, and the next thing he gives you a yellow card.
For us it’s difficult, we always cry about the situation, but it is also unfortunate because it was not on our side.
Situations like those happen in football and sometimes I think the referee has also to come and allow us to ask.
The Warriors had their first penalty appeal turned down in the first half following an apparent handball.
In the second half, substitute Tymon Machope also had a penalty appeal rejected by the referee after he appeared to have been brought down inside the box.
Zimbabwe’s next 2026 World Cup qualifier is against South Africa on Tuesday at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Group C CAF World Cup Qualifiers:
- Lesotho – 5 points
- Benin – 4 points
- Rwanda – 4 points
- South Africa – 4 points
- Nigeria – 3 points
- Zimbabwe – 2 points
