You can’t blame part-time referees

After the red card, Pirates needed to adjust and did so very well. Beside the penalties, there was a lot that was good to watch during normal time and extra time.

With Chiefs, we are seeing a team that are much more confident these days in their approach. Pirates dug deep and played with less stress than in other games.

The refereeing situation has over the last few weeks become an even bigger talking point than before.

Once again in the derby on Saturday, the officials were not on their game. When you have a situation like Samir Nurkovic’s early goal being disallowed, but the decision is close, that is where human error comes in, and you can understand those mistakes.

The week before, when Tshegofatso Mabasa was so far offside, you can’t overlook that. When Thembinkosi Lorch was stamping on a player in Saturday’s derby, you can’t overlook that, when Mabasa last week made that awful tackle on Lindokuhle Mbatha, you can’t overlook that.

However, how do you expect a guy who is not full-time to be perfect? You can’t blame the referees, on Monday they must go to their other job, you can’t be a teacher and be working as a PSL referee. Refereeing has come under scrutiny and there have been bad decisions but you can’t blame the referees alone, they are not full-time employees.

In the TKO final, we could see a Kaizer Chiefs-Sundowns final, but we could also see an all-KZN final. We are in a part of the season where teams are starting to find their identity and it makes for good attacking football, with more goals.

Anyone can go to the final, this is the time of the season where you have the league, and the cup, and for Sundowns you also have the Champions League. It is about how teams like Sundowns manage their squad.

With SuperSport against Arrows, you would have fancied SuperSport to win, with their cup pedigree. They had a chance with the penalty at the end from Aubrey Modiba. You’d think that would be a goal and the game would go to extra time, but it was not to be.

This is an opportunity for Arrows to have a good cup run, apart from the game they lost 5-0 to Bloemfontein Celtic, Steve Komphela’s side have done well.

Maritzburg United are starting to believe in themselves too, though Chiefs are flying at the moment and still have people on the bench who can make a difference. Lazarous Kambole has been managed well and now that there is non-stop football he will start to come back into the team.

Finally, I was surprised at the timing of Benni McCarthy’s sacking because it was three days before they play Polokwane City and after that it is an international break, so they could have waited.

Other than that, with Benni and his first head coaching job, as a former colleague of his and his friend, if you look at Cape Town City and Benni you see success, the brand of football City have played under him has been some of the best in South Africa. I wish him all the best for the future.

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