Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef expressed the team’s frustration with the refereeing in their 1-0 Betway Premiership loss to Golden Arrows at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.
Head coach Nabi confronted referee Olani Kwinda after the final whistle, continuing the argument from the pitch into the tunnel, where he reportedly pointed a finger in Kwinda’s face. This resulted in a red card for Nabi, a two-match suspension.
Ben Youssef, standing in for the suspended Nabi at the post-match press conference, was visibly agitated when asked about the dismissal. “Do I have to answer this question?” he responded.
He then explained that Nabi’s anger stemmed from what they perceived as the referee’s failure to address Arrows’ time-wasting tactics.
The Chiefs technical team believed Arrows deliberately used substitutions and simulated injuries to disrupt the game. They were further angered by what they felt was insufficient stoppage time added by the referee, given the numerous interruptions.
“Normally, what we know in football, if you make a substitution, it is 30 seconds. So, I give you a question, how many substitutions did we make in the second half? You don’t know,” said Ben Youssef.
“They make five substitutions and we make three substitutions. So, if you count how many times like that.
“The issue with the red card, he went to the referee and said, how do we make this substitution? That’s the normal strategy for Golden Arrows. They try to win the time. Every challenge, [they] will go down.
“Look inside. And you give only three minutes. It [should have been] a minimum of five minutes.
“We played now 12 games. Always five minutes and more than five minutes for extra time. If you give three minutes and then you allow for them, when they try to play, you allow for them.
“You give them time to win the time. You don’t give a yellow card. Like, we feel like he tried to help the opponent team.
“I know it’s a good situation for us. But I don’t want to talk about it.”