Ebrahim defends referee for disallowed Chippa ‘goal’ against Chiefs

Chavani came under fire from the public after disallowing Boikanyo Komane’s goal in the 79th minute for a foul on Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.

READ: ‘It was all about the points’, says Chiefs coach Middendorp after Chippa win

Ebrahim said Chavani was correct in signaling a foul by the Chippa player Kevin Moyo before his teammate Komane scored the ‘’goal’.

The referees’ boss said before Khune collided with his teammate, the Chiefs defender had been impeded by Moyo.

“The Chippa United player, Kevin Moyo, places himself in a position to challenge for the aerial ball. He does not jump up, but instead, impedes the Kaizer Chiefs defender from contesting for the ball in the air. He uses his body to push the opposition defender onto the path of his own goalkeeper.

‘’At the same time, the Chiefs goalkeeper, Khune, comes out to challenge for the ball but collides with his own teammate who had in turn been impeded by Moyo,” explained Ebrahim.

‘’The referee, Chavani clearly saw the incident and blew for a foul, as Komane, a team mate of Moyo, heads the ball into the net. And the referee sounded the whistle before the ball crossed the line.

‘’The referee was 100% correct to award a free kick against Moyo as his action was not to challenge for the ball but to challenge the player off the ball,’’ concluded Ebrahim.

Ebrahim cautioned the public from roundly condemning match officials without adequate facts.

“Yes, match officials make mistakes but in this particular incident, the referee was 100 percent correct.’’

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