Former South African top referee Andile Aldrin “Ace” Ncobo has raised concerns about the unavailability of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the country following recent error in Mamelodi Sundowns clash against Kaizer Chiefs.
In a highly competitive clash last week, Kaizer Chiefs triumphed over Sundowns to secure qualification to the semifinals of the South Africa Cup competition.
With a 2-1 win, Kaizer Chiefs have set up a tie with rivals Orlando Pirates in a crunch semifinals tie. Ashley Du Preez’s last-gasp goal ensured Kaizer Chiefs prevailed over their opponent.
But concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of Kaizer Chiefs match-winner, with many football fanatics pointing fingers at referee holding onto an offiside goal.
Reacting to the referee’s decision, the former FIFA referee said, “So when we work in a country that doesn’t have VAR, that’s what happens. Just go back and look at the images. You have the images, get the images from the TV, and there is a team that loses this competition due to mistakes from the referee, he distance between the striker and the goal line is 10.4 cm. The distance between the defender and the goal line is 10.9 m. Who is closer? The one with 10.4 m – the striker is closer to that goal line than the second-last defender, and that’s all that matters.
The assistant referee is human; he was caught for pace. His football mind told him that the defenders would kick that ball out. So, that’s why he was just half a meter away from the offside line. That was offside. It should have been picked up as an offside. It was not a legitimate goal; it was given as a goal incorrectly” he concluded.
