Pupuma questions refereeing after Milford FC defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns

Milford FC coach Dr Xanti Pupuma criticised the match officials after his side’s defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns, claiming the rules were not being applied consistently.

Milford FC produced a strong performance against the African champions but were left frustrated by the circumstances surrounding the opening goal. They questioned whether Aubrey Modiba had won the ball fairly on the edge of the penalty area before providing the pass for Iqraam Rayners to score his first league goal of the season.

The goal came just before half-time and altered the course of the match. Milford FC were forced to chase the game after the break, while their energy appeared to fade as the second half progressed.

Pupuma, who was visibly unhappy after the final whistle, made a cryptic reference to the referee during his interview with SuperSport TV.

“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 that I’ve been drinking,” he told SuperSport TV.

“But really I think some of the rules apply to us and they don’t apply to other teams. It is a bit unfair…

“Look, at the end of the day, we had to win the game and they scored goals. The second goal, my players fell asleep, maybe the changes caused.

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

Asked specifically whether his frustration came from the incident before Sundowns’ first goal, Pupuma said his concerns were based on what he viewed as inconsistent decisions involving Milford FC in previous matches.

“I am actually annoyed because we’ve been in the position before and those rules were applied to us and it’s not applied here,” he added.

The Milford FC coach also described another incident in the middle of the pitch during the second half. He said the referee initially produced a red card, then put it away without showing a yellow card after apparently identifying the player who was due to be cautioned.

“In the second half, there was a tackle in the middle of the park – ref takes out a red card, even puts it back and doesn’t even give a yellow card after seeing who he was gonna caution.”

Pupuma accepted that his team ultimately had to win the match and that Sundowns had scored the goals required to claim victory. However, he maintained that the officiating had affected what he considered to be a good contest.

“All those things, they mess it up for us. They mess up a good game.”

Despite the defeat, Pupuma praised the way Milford FC competed against the African champions, particularly during the opening 45 minutes and parts of the second half.

The match was associated with @ToyotaSA and the #BetwayPrem.