Tanzania is on the verge of making football history in Africa after officially announcing that the Tanzania Mainland Premier League will begin using the Video Support (VS) system starting next season.
The move will make Tanzania the first country in Africa to implement the technology, which is designed to help match officials make more accurate decisions at a significantly lower cost than the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
Last season, refereeing decisions were a major source of controversy in the Tanzania Premier League. Several clubs expressed dissatisfaction with officiating, with Simba SC among those openly criticizing what they described as costly refereeing errors. The club argued that some decisions cost them valuable points and contributed to their failure to win the league title.
Following the widespread debate, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has decided to take action. TFF President Wallace Karia confirmed that the Video Support (VS) system will be introduced next season to improve the accuracy of refereeing decisions and reduce the number of recurring complaints.
What is Video Support (VS)?
Video Support (VS) is a video review system that allows the referee to stop play and review key incidents on a pitch-side monitor before making a final decision.
Unlike VAR, the system does not rely on a dedicated team of video assistant referees continuously monitoring every incident throughout the match. Instead, only the on-field referee decides whether a particular incident should be reviewed using video footage.
Because of its simpler structure, Video Support requires fewer technical resources and is considerably less expensive to implement than VAR, making it a practical option for leagues looking to introduce video-assisted officiating without the high operational costs.
If successfully implemented, Tanzania will become the first nation in Africa to adopt the Video Support system, a move expected to enhance transparency, fairness, and the overall quality of refereeing decisions in the Tanzania Mainland Premier League.
