Poor refereeing has been rampant in the Rwanda Premier League over the years, and this has seen many suspensions being made in the league with the leadership of the Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) acting. The issues, which contain the accusations of match-fixing as well as certain game-altering mistakes, have attracted condemnation among supporters and authorities.
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However, the new Ferwafa management of Fabrice Shema, who has now observed enough bad referee work, and even open cheating by their own referees, have decided to take some action. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the local league is a clear indication of a turning point on the way to reinstate integrity, accuracy, and fairness in the top-flight football in the country.
After weeks of scandals, scandals and outcry among fans over bad decision making by referees, Ferwafa and the league leadership have acted to remedy one of the longest running issues in the sport namely refereeing mistakes that have at times altered the tide of a game.
On Monday, October 27, Shema declared that VAR will be trialled in the second phase of the 2025/2026 Rwanda Premier League season, and it will be implemented fully in year 2026. This announcement follows a rising criticism of standards of officiating, with a number of referees being recently suspended due to major errors and this has led to an increase in the accusation of corruption and match-fixing. The controversies surrounding refereeing issues have prevailed in the early weeks of the 2025/2026 campaign than football magnificence, which is quite unfortunate given that a country that boasts of being a corruption free nation.
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This season alone, Rayon Sports vs Gasogi United, and APR FC vs Mukura Victory Sports among others have been marred by dubious calls that reversed the result and infuriated the fans. Referees whose requests were suspended included Emmanuel Habumugisha and Claude Ishimwe who made some critical mistakes as well as assistant referee Eric Mugabo, who was found culpable of disallowing a goal despite giving an incorrect ruling. Such mistakes whether deliberate or not have far-reaching consequences in the result of the matches and particularly the ultimate placement of the clubs by the season end. To leave such corrupt and/or inept officials in charge is so much to be in their hands.
In May, Ferwafa went on to ban three referees due to their alleged participation in match-fixing and betting, a move never taken before. It was long overdue, in the opinion of so many, that such decisive action should have been taken. One of them was a female official known as Amida Hemedi who had received a referee badge of honor and was stripped of the same. Such cases highlighted the long-standing problems of incompetent officiating, lack of integrity, and weak accountability that has been a problem at the league since time immemorial.
The arrival of VAR is a revolutionary move in the Rwandan football. It enables the referees to check on the important decisions including controversial goals, penalties, red cards and wrong identity. The not-so-perfect technology is a second safety net, margin in which the human error in critical match situations is lowered. The system is already installed at the newly remodelled Amahoro Stadium and should the pilot project be a success, Rwanda will be added to a list of other African countries such as Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa that are using VAR in local matches.
Restoring integrity and trust
The role of the VAR in Rwanda cannot be underestimated. Another issue that has led to the loss of faith in fair competition among the fans is the controversial situations when refereeing is at stake. There have been many allegations of bias among officials by teams, and there are heightened arguments in mainstream and social media following almost every big game.
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Ferwafa believes that by implementing VAR, they will be able to regain the trust of clubs, players, and fans. Video inspection will give a glimpse of transparency and responsibility never before seen in Rwandan football. The officials will not be able to evade cases of either incompetence, purported bias or cheating. There will be a greater likelihood of making more informed decisions by the referees and minimizing the chances of errors that could result in the defining of a match. I am all for the technology.
Notably, VAR will assist in safeguarding referees. Since there is video evidence, the officials will no longer receive all the criticism of making the decision within seconds as experienced by the officials. Rather, a decision-making process will be conducted in cooperation, using technology and having a team of trained video assistants that will support the process. In addition to fairness, VAR is an attribute of the larger Rwandan vision of professionalising the game. The world is moving at a high pace and we cannot afford to be left behind by the world where technology is now forming part of the society.
Several reforms have already been implemented under the new leadership of Ferwafa, which too was a long time in coming. Shema and his team should be our priority as they work towards ensuring that Rwandan football is taken to the next level. Referee match allowances have increased twice, at least according to what we read in the media and the federation is now re-evaluating refereeing rules to improve the standards and integrity. One thing at a time till we arrive there. A new league Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is also accompanied by a promise to make officiating better and provide competitive fairness.
VAR referees on duty during a trial of the use of VAR equipment at Amahoro Stadium in January 2025. Courtesy
Hopefully Jules Karangwa will not fall short of the job, and not sink in what had been turned into a culture of corruption in earlier times. In addition, it will be beneficial in training local referees to use VAR, which will further professionalize them, and make Rwandan refereeing consistent with global standards. This is not only an advantage to the domestic league but also places them at a position to send Rwandan referees to international assignments.
The suggested VAR trials will mark a new dawn in Rwandan football, which will be characterized by transparency, professionalism, and technological progress. Although no mechanism can be considered flawless, VAR promises to decrease expensive errors and the integrity of the game could be restored. To the players and coaches, it implies more equitable outcomes. To the fans, it is a way of regaining confidence in the beautiful game. And in the case of Rwanda it means a gallant pursuit of elevating the level of its football to continental and international standards.
Should it be carried out successfully, VAR may not only be described as the means of officiating, it may become the symbol of the restoration of trust, credibility into Rwandan football.
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