Referee Sikhumbuzo Gasa was cleared of wrongdoing after the SAFA review of the recent Betway Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The match on 28 September, held at the FNB Stadium, ended in a 2-1 victory for Sundowns, but not without controversy.
During the match, Lucas Ribeiro Costa appeared to be in an offside position when he assisted in Sundowns’ second goal.
However, the officials allowed the goal to stand, putting Sundowns ahead. Later, AmaKhosi managed to equalise late in the game, but Gasa disallowed the goal due to a foul committed by a Chiefs player on Sundowns defender Mosa Lebusa.
Abdul Ebrahim, the head of referees at SAFA, affirmed the referees’ decisions after a thorough review of the match footage.
“There was nothing wrong with whatever they did. With the footage we have, we couldn’t find any evidence to the contrary,” Ebrahim stated in an interview with KickOff.
Ebrahim also addressed concerns about the quality of available footage, questioning why SuperSport TV did not provide a camera angle from behind the goalpost. He mentioned, “If SuperSport United can provide us with better angles, then we can say we have an offside situation.”
Additionally, he noted that a technical team member from Kaizer Chiefs, whose iPad was removed by the referee during the match, should have received a yellow card for misuse.
“The Laws of the Game allow the use of handheld equipment, but if they use it incorrectly… people can be cautioned for the misuse of electrical equipment,” he explained.
Overall, the review concluded that there were no significant errors by the officials during this contentious match, ensuring the integrity of the refereeing team remains intact.