Chiefs’ Johnson suggests broken comms affected refs

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Cavin Johnson has expressed concern that the match officials’ communication devices seemed to break down during their 1-1 DStv Premiership draw with AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.

AmaZulu scored an equaliser through Victor Letsoalo that replays showed was just offside, while Johnson also felt Abbubaker Mobara should have been sent off for a foul and a penalty should have been awarded to Chiefs.

The Amakhosi head coach felt a lack of communication between the match officials did not help the situation.

“We had a good first-half, we should have scored more than one goal,” said Johnson, whose side opened the scoring after just 90 seconds through Ashley Du Preez.

At the post match press conference the Chiefs head coach was aware that AmaZulu’s goal was offside, when in his television interview he did not appear to realise this. And this only seemed to fuel his anger.

“But you know when you get an offside goal against you…during the first-half as well, the officials lost comms, which I thought was strange. How do you lose comms for 30 minutes of a game? It affects decisions when the referee has no comms with the fourth officials or his team-mates (assistant referees) on the side.

“After the offside goal I spoke to the fourth official who said he can’t do anything because the mics were not working.

“In the second-half, I think we had a penalty shout, and it should be a second yellow card for
Mobara and he should go off. But again there were no communications between the fourth official and his colleagues on the side. The referee was making decisions on his own.”

‘Cup finals’

Chiefs somehow clung on to eighth position on the table as the teams around them also faltered.

Their next game is surely vital in Amakhosi’s bid to qualify for next season’s MTN8, as they take on ninth-placed Polokwane City on Satutday, who only trail them on goal difference.

“The top eight is very important to the club. We have to take the next two games as cup finals,” added Johnson.

“We have tried to do that for the last six weeks…I don’t think the team is playing bad football, the problem is we are not putting the ball in the back of the net.”