Victor Hlungwani, a former referee for SAFA and an analyst for SABC Sport, has voiced concerns over two significant officiating calls made during last weekend’s matches in the Betway Premiership.
He asserts that the Orlando Pirates were improperly given a penalty during their 3-0 victory against Magesi FC in Polokwane.
The Pirates secured their win with goals from Patrick Maswanganyi, Kamogelo Sebelebele, and Oswin Appollis, who scored from the penalty spot in the final minutes of the game.
The penalty was awarded when Sebelebele fell inside the box; however, Hlungwani contends that the contact did not warrant such a decision.
“Sebelebele was awarded a penalty. But was it awarded correctly?” he questioned during a segment on Soccer Zone.
“There is a hand on him, but was that enough to send him down? The answer is no.”
The former referee clarified that mere contact should not result in a penalty kick.
“The contact must be enough, must have impact,” he added.
“So here the contact was not enough. But Sebelebele, seeing that he is in the penalty area, took a chance and got a penalty.”
Hlungwani also commented on the thrilling 7-4 victory of Mamelodi Sundowns over Siwelele FC, where one of Sundowns’ goals was controversially disallowed for offside.
He indicated that the assistant referee made a significant mistake in this instance.
“The score could have been 8-4, but it ended 7-4,” he remarked.
“In terms of offside law, you can see that Lethlaku is onside, and when he crosses the ball, there was no offside. The assistant referee got it wrong.”
As the Betway Premiership title race heats up, questionable officiating decisions continue to generate added tension in what is already a highly charged season.
