The issue of poor officiating in our professional football is now reaching a fever pitch. Two matches in recent weeks were marred by one of the most shocking officiating in recent times, and sadly, this seems to be getting out of hand.
The refereeing in the Sekhukhune United v Moroka Swallows match in Polokwane last month left fans wondering if there could have been any underhanded methods at play.
Sekhukhune goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangaré was pushed past the goal line by Swallows striker Gabadinho Mhango and referee Siyabonga Nkomo awarded the goal.
The Sekhukhune club officials were so livid that they charged at the refereeing team after the match, wanting to take matters into their own hands.
Nkomo is now serving a 16-week suspension, undergoing a rehabilitation programme for his delinquent ways.
Just last week, Mamelodi Sundowns waltzed past Kaizer Chiefs in the semifinals of the MTN8 in another refereeing performance that left a lot to be desired. Luxolo Badi, one of the most trusted referees in the PSL in the last couple of seasons, had a game to forget and he is now staring down the barrel of a gun.
These two matches are just recent examples – there are many more incidents that are shocking and embarrassing.
These issues have been alarming over the years, but a blind eye was turned, with no major consequences.
There are two major issues affecting refereeing in SA football: the professionalisation of referees and the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR). The calls for the two imperatives have been going on for as long as Sundowns’ winning streak.
How do you expect a person to perfect such a rare and important skill when he is not doing the job on a full-time basis. Making things even more difficult to solve is that referees don’t work for the league or Safa on a permanent basis, they have other full-time jobs they do during the day. Refereeing is mostly a hobby – a risky one for that matter.
The poor referees are not given the tools to improve their vocation, like the VAR and other methods that can minimise wrong decisions.
Yes, mistakes happen, but at this level, it can sometimes be completely unacceptable when contemplating the stakes in specific situations. For instance, Chiefs have not won a single trophy in eight years and the players, the coaches and the club bosses are under tremendous pressure from their supporters.
It’s not that the referees are consistently bad; it is a known fact that flawlessness and perfection is impossible. Hell, it’s hard to even be consistently good, which, for the most part, our officials are. We’ve gotten to know them over the years, most of them are a bunch of nice guys who chose one of the most difficult jobs in the world, to literally work inside the pressure cooker.
After all, how many times are referees credited with handling a match with aplomb? Life is such that you can do so much good, but just fart once, just once, people will remember you for that for the rest of your life.
The league and Safa must address the matter to protect the integrity of the game. Whatever that has to be done, to find more consistency in the way that PSL and cup matches are officiated and to remedy the situation, it needs to be done immediately.
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