Super Eagles head coach Finidi George expressed disappointment that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was not available during his side’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against South Africa in Uyo on Friday.
Despite a keenly contested encounter, the visitors held Bafana Bafana to a 1-1 draw. However, the Super Eagles were left frustrated after being denied a clear penalty when goal hero Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was brought down inside the box in the 53rd minute.
Additionally, substitute Samuel Chukwueze’s left-footed curling effort hit the crossbar and appeared to have crossed the goal line, raising suggestions of a goal, but without VAR, the decision stood.
“I’m sure we all saw the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire where the VAR was properly used”, Finidi said during his interaction with the media after the game.
“Even the Europeans were applauding the AFCON, you know. For me, I don’t know why in (World Cup qualifiers) like this, where everything counts and we couldn’t have a play or incident properly checked to know if a goal is properly scored or not.
“Chukwueze’s cross which hit the (underneath of the) bar, from where I was standing, I don’t know whether it crossed the line, but if there’s VAR, we would have had the opportunity of having a better view. For me, I’m just a coach and cannot change the rules of FIFA”.
