Johannesburg – Bidvest Wits are calling for disciplinary action from the Premier Soccer League and the SA Football Association (Safa) against Kaizer Chiefs' player Morgan Gould and referee Lwanile Mfiki.
Gould fouled Wits' player Getaneh Kebede with what appeared to be a punch in their Premiership match at FNB Stadium on Saturday. Mfiki did not send Gould off, but gave him a yellow card.
“Bidvest Wits FC have written to both the PSL and Safa demanding that immediate and exemplary disciplinary action be taken against both Kaizer Chiefs centre back Morgan Gould as well as match official Mr Lwandile Mfiki, respectively,” Wits said in a statement on Tuesday.
PSL spokesman Lux September said: “We have received the letter from Wits, I can confirm, but I do not want to comment on anything else.”
Wits CEO Jose Ferreira said he expected action from Safa regarding the referee.
“This situation is intolerable for us and accordingly, going forward, we will be formally demanding that action be taken against match officials.
“Insofar as the match official is concerned, we have asked the SA Football Association to take action against Mr Mfiki for his failure to send Morgan Gould off for violent conduct.”
In response to requests for a statement, Safa said it was a PSL matter.
“Was it a Safa or PSL game? New breed desk-bound journos! Ever wondered why circulation is dropping at alarming rate?” Safa commented on the social network Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
Ferreira said there was consistently poor officiating in the PSL.
“At Bidvest Wits, we have a reputation for not formally complaining about poor officiating, but we feel that we have kept quiet for far too long and that we need to take formal steps against the persistent and continuous poor refereeing decisions in the Premier Soccer League,” he said.
“As a club we understand and respect that match officials have a very difficult task and the nature of the job is such that they will always make mistakes, but increasingly, the performances of our match officials in PSL matches have deteriorated to unprecedented levels.” – Sapa