Ouaddou backs referee Tom after Pirates lose MTN8 final to Sundowns

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou declined to criticise referee Abongile Tom after his side’s 2-0 MTN8 final defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns, instead praising the official for helping control a fiercely contested match.

Tom awarded Sundowns a late penalty at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday after ruling that Thapelo Mokobodi had tripped Siyanda Ndlovu inside the Pirates penalty area. Replays appeared to show Ndlovu had stumbled over Mokobodi while moving through the box.

Iqraam Rayners converted the spot-kick, prompting anger among some Pirates supporters and renewed calls for the introduction of VAR. Ouaddou, however, refused to enter the debate over the decision.

“I don’t like to touch on the areas of referees because I never talk about referees,” he said at the post-match news conference. “It’s not my job. The referees are part of the game.”

The match had already demanded plenty from Tom before the late incident. Both teams had earned their places in the final, but the physical nature of the contest led to several yellow cards during the opening half.

Tempers also threatened to boil over towards the end of the first period, with Tom required to manage players and coaching staff as the intensity increased. Ouaddou said the FIFA-accredited official had played an important role in restoring order.

“If there is somebody to protect the game, it’s the man in black in the middle,” Ouaddou said. “It started very hot to be honest, and I thought if we continued like that we wouldn’t end the game. But the referees had the cleverness to bring everyone back to the real game that we were expecting.”

He added: “They spoke to us as coaches. He brought back the competence. After that, we had a good game. He had the cleverness to stop it because it wasn’t so beautiful in the beginning. There were a lot of bad tackles from either side.”

Ouaddou said the early tone of the final had fallen short of what supporters would expect from the competition, but credited Tom with ensuring the game reached a positive conclusion.

“It’s not what the fans expected for such a fantastic competition,” he said. “But in the end, he showed that he’s an experienced and international referee. He brought everyone back to the pitch, and we saw an end to a beautiful game.”