Blundering PSL refs must pay

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 24, during the Absa Premiership match between Golden Arrows and Santos from King Zwelithini Stadium on September 24, 2011 in Durban, South Africa Photo by Anesh Debiky / Gallo Images

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 24, during the Absa Premiership match between Golden Arrows and Santos from King Zwelithini Stadium on September 24, 2011 in Durban, South Africa Photo by Anesh Debiky / Gallo Images

Published Oct 1, 2011

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Imagine if George Lebese, the Kaizer Chiefs player, had converted that penalty against Golden Arrows in midweek. We were in the final minute of the Absa Premiership clash between the sides when, with Chiefs trailing 1-2, Robert Sithole, the referee, blew for a penalty, and Lebese stepped forward.

To the relief of the Arrows players who had furiously mobbed Sithole after he pointed to the penalty spot, the Chiefs youngster sent the ball wide, ensuring that Abafana Bes’thende won the match.

But what if Lebese had scored? The elation seen from Arrows at the end of the match would have been replaced by dejection.

It would have been a shattering experience for the Lamontville club to lose the match so cruelly, via a penalty that should not have been, in the very last minute, plunging them deeper into a relegation quagmire into which Ernst Middendorp has dropped them this season.

The result would in the end have read 2-2, Chiefs and Arrows taking a point each, but the ramifications of Sithole’s wrong decision would not end there.

It would affect the log standings as, with a draw, Amakhosi would be third rather than fourth and Arrows second from bottom instead of occupying 14th spot as they do now.

Meanwhile, Sithole, who made a clearly wrong call, would be safely escorted off the Peter Mokaba Stadium pitch by the usual referees’ security who dress in black suits.

He would then submit a report, contents of which we may never know but which I’m told do not necessarily have to state his reasoning behind his decisions, including why he decided to blow for a penalty when Thanduyise Khuboni clearly used his chest to defend a ball in the area.

Sithole would then move on to the next game, in spite of having made such a drastic error. And no, he wouldn’t be fined either.

This is the sad situation that domestic football finds itself in today, where referees can get away with wrong decisions and, inexplicably, do not have to explain themselves, except perhaps when they are called in by their masters in the Safa referees review committee.

What they tell that committee is shrouded in secrecy and never gets made public.

Nevertheless, Sithole’s mistake was very public, with numerous television replays showing conclusively that it was an error, but we could never get him to explain what persuaded him to award that penalty.

The situation could have been worse for Arrows because, as they protested vehemently, Robyn Johannes picked up a yellow card instead of a red one for abusing the match official.

Sithole’s awarding of a penalty that shouldn’t have been was, of course, not the first incorrect decision we’ve seen this season, and definitely won’t be the last (we also saw the questionable sending off of Morgan Gould in the SuperSport-Swallows game).

But it is about time that referees pay the price for errors, and I’m not talking about one cup final being taken away from them.

Redresses should include a referee explaining himself publicly and offering his unqualified apology to the affected club/player. A portion of the match fee should also be deducted.

The season is less than two months old but we’ve had so many errors thus far that it points to general incompetence that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

It would have helped had a professional referees’ body, which was initiated by the PSL last year, been in place already.

Why this initiative isn’t operational a year after David Elleray, the English refereeing expert, was invited to help set it up is a mystery.

At the bottom of this reluctance to officially launch a professional referees’ structure seems to be the war between Safa and the PSL.

But until referees are made to account for their actions, the situation will deteriorate, producing unjust results and ending coaching careers.

*You can follow Matshe on Twitter @Nkareng

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