Officials in Sundowns, Chiefs game suspended

South African Football Association (Safa) head of referees Abdul Ebrahim has confirmed that officials that handled the DStv Premiership game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs have been taken off the refereeing panel for four weeks for poor officiating.

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Sundowns won the encounter 2-1 but there were some questionable decisions during the game.

Lucas Ribeiro’s goal should have never stood after replays showed that Peter Shalulile assisted him from what looked like an offside position.

The PSL review committee sent former PSL referee of the year Abongile Tom, top assistant referee Zakhele Siwela and Khumusi Razwimisani for rehabilitation. Thando Ndzandzeka was the fourth official at the game that was played at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

Ebrahim confirmed their suspension on Thabiso Mosia’s Game On sports show on Radio 2000.

“Yes, they may have been (mistakes) and the necessary recommendations have been made,” Ebrahim said.

“Let me say the match officials have been rehabilitated for that one as well but the period is not that long, it’s a four-week rehabilitation programme.”

Officials in the game between Sekhukhune United and Moroka Swallows have been suspended for four months following a dubious goal by the Dube Birds who won the game 2-1.

Siyabonga Nkomo and his assistants Kgara Mokoena and Thamaga Sebati allowed a goal to stand after Swallows striker Gabadinho Mhango pushed Badra Sangare into his own net late in the game.

“Yes, in a sense you can say that (they are suspended) but when you’re suspended, you’re taken away from something,” Abdul said before explaining what happens when officials are put on a rehabilitation programme.

“The assistant referee raised his flag that the ball had crossed the line but if you look at the angle the assistant referee had, he would have been able to see the contact. Besides the application of the law there is also positioning and reading error hence the review committee has come out with recommendations for rehabilitation.

“The reason we call rehabilitation is that we take them out of the national soccer league. They will not officiate matches in the national soccer league for a certain period.”

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Ebrahim added: “However, we have to keep them match fit. They need to be officiating so that when they come back from the rehabilitation programme they don’t come out cold. Let’s say they are rehabilitated for 8 weeks, we say to them ‘go back to the region and your province’ but have our senior match assessors go and assess them.

“After the programme, our technical committee will assign one of the technical instructors to work with the match officials during the period of their rehabilitation.”