Xanti Pupuma questions refereeing after Milford FC defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns

Milford FC head coach Xanti Pupuma has criticised the consistency of refereeing decisions following his side’s defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday.

Pupuma was unhappy with the decision-making around Sundowns’ opening goal and a second-half challenge in which the referee appeared to prepare to show a red card before opting for a yellow.

The incidents have added to the debate around the possible introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in local football, where discussions about its use remain ongoing.

Pupuma, who has guided Milford FC into elite football, said the match had left him frustrated despite aspects of his team’s performance against the African champions.

“To be honest, it’s the first time I leave a game with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe from all the coke I’ve been drinking. But really, I think some of the rules they apply to us but not to other teams,” Pupuma told SuperSport after the game.

The Milford FC manager believes his side competed strongly, particularly in the first half, although he accepted that Sundowns’ second goal exposed shortcomings in his own team.

“It’s a bit unfair, look at the end of the day, we had to win the game and they scored goals, the second goal ja…my players fell asleep, maybe the changes caused that,” he added.

“Overall, I think the display how they represented themselves was quite good especially in the first half and parts of the second half.”

Pupuma’s main concern was what he saw as an uneven application of the laws. He said Milford FC had previously been punished in comparable situations, only to see a different decision made against Sundowns.

“I’m actually annoyed by that because we’ve been in that position before and those rules were applied to us and when it comes, we hear it’s not applied,” he said.

He also questioned the referee’s handling of the second-half tackle in the middle of the pitch.

“Not just that, even in the second half when there was a tackle there in the middle of the park – the referee takes out a red-card and even puts it back and gives the yellow card after seeing who he was about to caution.”

Pupuma felt the disputed calls overshadowed a match in which Milford FC had travelled to Loftus Versfeld Stadium intending to challenge Sundowns rather than simply defend.

He nevertheless insisted the result would not damage his team’s confidence or alter its approach for the remainder of the season.

“I know these things, they mess it up for us and they mess up a good game where we really came to impose ourselves but we’re not going to look down on ourselves,” he said.

Milford FC will now turn their attention to a league meeting with Chippa at the weekend, with Pupuma calling on his players to respond positively to the defeat.

“We’re going to pick ourselves up and play Chippa on the weekend and see what happens.”