Former PSL referee backs assistant referee over controversial Soweto derby calls

Former PSL referee Zolile Mthetho says Orlando Pirates’ opening goal in their 2-1 Soweto derby victory over Kaizer Chiefs should arguably have been ruled out, but believes the assistant referee made the correct decision on the winner.

Pirates opened the scoring at FNB Stadium on Saturday when Yanela Mbuthuma finished after receiving a through ball from Thapelo Mokobodi. Chiefs questioned whether Mbuthuma was in an offside position when the pass was played.

Mthetho, the former PSL Referee of the Season, said replays suggested the Bafana Bafana striker had strayed beyond the last defender, although he accepted the decision was extremely close.

“I thought the goal was offside, from my point of view (after watching replays), it looked offside. However, it was a very tight. Tight decision,” Mthetho told KickOff.

“If you’re not sure as the AR (assistant referee) you give the benefit of the doubt to the attacking team.”

The second major offside appeal came when Tshepang Moremi scored what proved to be Pirates’ winning goal. Chiefs supporters believed Mokobodi, who received the pass that split the defence, had been offside.

On that occasion, however, Mthetho fully supported the assistant referee’s decision to allow the goal.

“Another tight decision but with that one, I would go 100 percent with the assistant referee, to say it was not offside. The assistant referee judges when the ball is played by the teammate of the recipient. He does not judge when the player who is an offside position, if I may put it that way, receives the ball,” Mthetho said.

Mthetho also assessed the decision not to show Orlando Pirates midfielder Simphiwe Selepe a second yellow card after a foul that interrupted Kaizer Chiefs’ momentum.

The retired official said the challenge did not automatically require a booking. While he acknowledged that another referee could have reached a different conclusion, he felt Luxolo Badi managed the incident correctly.

“I saw the incident, the referee was 100 percent in managing the situation. The second offense committed by the Pirates player (Selepe) is not a mandatory yellow card. If you hold a player from a promising attack, then that’s a mandatory yellow card but this one was a tactical foul,” Mthetho said.

He distinguished the incident from the first yellow card shown to Kaizer Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel, who was booked for using his hand to stop a Pirates player.

“If you check the first yellow card of player number 84, (Inacio) Miguel, he held the Pirates player, that one is a mandatory yellow card, because he committed an offense using the hand, so you cannot compare the two. Such offenses are called tactical fouls, basically it is in the opinion of the referee (to give a yellow card or not), it’s not a mandatory yellow card (offense),” Mthetho added.