Referee apologises for giving a wrong Arrows player a red card
Referee Thando Ndzandzeka has issued an apology to Golden Arrows defender Lambikano Mzava midfielder for his error.
Thando Ndzandzeka during the Absa Premiership match between Moroka Swallows and Bloemfontein Celtic at Dobsonville Stadium on March 09, 2014 in Dobsonville, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Mzava got a red card in a case of mistaken identity by Ndzandzeka.
The defender was mistakenly sent off after his teammate Mzwandile Buthelezi tackled an opponent. Mzava was already on a yellow card and received a second offence that saw him red carded.
“I am sorry. It hurts very much thinking about it. Not to point fingers but I think the error could have been avoided had I had an experienced fourth official.
“Even my assistant referee did not help me that much because he too missed the number of the player at fault. I realised immediately after the match that I had made a mistake.
“The first thing I did when I arrived home was to watch the highlights, I realised this is bad. Players must stop crowding officials because it leads to such costly mistakes. Unfortunately I can’t reverse the decision but this is a big lesson to me and the players,” said Ndzandzeka through a Safa statement.
“When the incident happened, I picked out number 5 and then went to check on the injured player. An Arrows player told me I made a mistake but I thought he wanted to stop his team-mate from getting a red card.”
The South African Football Association (Safa) has revoked the red card given to Mzava.
“In the match between Golden Arrows and Orlando Pirates over this past weekend, referee Mr Thando Ndzandzeka showed a red card to the wrong player.
“Mr Ndzandzeka wrongly showed the red card for two yellow cards to Arrows player Lambikano Mzava (shirt number 5). The Golden Arrows player who was supposed to have been shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge is Mzwandile Buthelezi (shirt number 3).
“Therefore, the red card shown to Mzava is rescinded on the basis of mistaken identity.
“The referee has since written an acknowledgement letter that after reviewing the match, he had shown the yellow card to the wrong player.
“We have since written correspondence to this effect to the club and the Premier Soccer League,” said Tenda Masikhwa from the Safa Referees Department.
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