The head of referees maintains that match officials are giving their utmost effort in games, and mistakes made do not have the significant impact as claimed by coaches.
What occurred?
Lately, there’s been a surge in complaints regarding subpar refereeing in South Africa’s premier football league.
Mamelodi Sundowns have reportedly gained from officiating errors on multiple occasions. However, coach Rhulani Mokwena recently contested this narrative following his team’s 2-2 draw with Moroka Swallows in the league.
AmaZulu coach Franco Pablo Martin expressed dissatisfaction with referees’ decisions during his team’s Nedbank Cup quarter-final defeat to Orlando Pirates.
Similar grievances were aired by Cape Town Spurs coach Ernst Middendorp just days ago.
Nevertheless, Abdul Ebrahim, the head of referees at the South African Football Association, has rebutted these claims, stating that the accusations have been exaggerated.
Here’s what Ebrahim said
“I am happy with the performances of all match officials, they do make mistakes but we deal with those mistakes,” Ebrahim said as quoted by Times LIVE.
“It doesn’t mean if someone makes a mistake, all of a sudden they are a poor person. It doesn’t mean if two referees make a mistake, refereeing is all of a sudden poor.
“Errors have been happening and our review committee deals with them. This is the norm every season, when something is wrong we try our best to fix it,” he continued.
“We are concerned but it doesn’t mean mistakes are happening regularly, but people are saying mistakes are happening. Sometimes when we [Safa’s review committee] analyse we get something different from what people are assuming.
“It is disappointing because the public in South Africa doesn’t know the Laws of the Game, how they are applied, and how they should be understood. The first thing they jump to is the error:
“The referee made a mistake and it cost us the game,” he concluded.
The Broader Picture
Sundowns appear formidable in their pursuit of claiming their seventh consecutive Premier Soccer League title.
Yet, numerous teams such as Stellenbosch, Orlando Pirates, SuperSport United, Kaizer Chiefs, Sekhukhune United, and Cape Town City, are vying for a spot in next season’s Caf Champions League.
Meanwhile, strugglers like Spurs and Richards Bay are fighting to escape the relegation zone, emphasizing the importance of referees’ vigilance to ensure fair play and not hinder teams from achieving their objectives.
Also Check: Nedbank Cup: Chippa United charge into the semi-finals after defeating TS Galaxy.
What’s to Come?
It’s clear that there have been costly errors made by referees, highlighting the need for rigorous training before the upcoming season.
Safa and PSL should intensify efforts to implement Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, which would aid in minimizing mistakes.
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