The President of the Rwanda Football Association (FERWAFA), Fabrice Shema, has announced that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be tested during the second round of the Rwanda Premier League (RPL). Referees will undergo specialised training ahead of the system’s full implementation next season. Shema made the announcement during a press conference held on Monday, October 27, 2025, while addressing ongoing concerns about officiating in the league. In recent weeks, several referees have been suspended amid widespread criticism of inconsistent officiating. “In our zone, the VAR department is based in Tanzania, but I told them there’s no need to send just two referees for training out of 200,” Shema explained. “Instead, we have requested that experts from Tanzania come to Rwanda so that we can train a larger group locally.” He added, “It’s likely that we will begin testing VAR in the first few matches of the second round. The 2025/26 RPL season has reached Matchday Five, but refereeing issues have already been a point of discussion, with multiple officials suspended and teams frequently voicing complaints about officiating quality. The VAR system has already been installed at the newly refurbished Amahoro Stadium. If testing proves successful, Rwanda could soon join the growing list of African nations utilising VAR in domestic football. VAR is a technology-assisted officiating tool that helps referees make more accurate decisions during critical moments of a match, using videos from the game.
