Despite good results, spotlight is on a referee
The results have been great this past weekend all over the country, but the most unfortunate part is that the spotlight was once again on the referees, in particular Victor Gomes, who sent off Pitso Mosimane in Mamelodi Sundowns’ 1-0 win over Cape Town City.
If the coach did not say anything that persuaded the referee to send him off other than normal protesting, then I would deem the Mosimane’s dismissal as unfortunate. This is a game of emotions, coaches and players will always react to decisions against them in a vocal manner. As a referee, you are expected to demonstrate calmness and manage the game.
The referee has now put himself under unnecessary pressure because the law, in general, is characterised by precedents, and the law of football is no exception. People are very observant about the referees’ conduct and that is why the issue of consistency is being reiterated.
People will expect him to do the same thing he did to Mosimane consistently. If he doesn’t, he could easily be branded as biased. He has effectively placed himself under extreme scrutiny and has unfortunately dragged his colleagues along with him under the microscope.
Everyone is lamenting the standard of officiating in the PSL, though are standards are actually regarded as high. We have seen some of our referees, including Gomes, being appointed to officiate in Caf Competitions and international matches.
They do ever so well outside the country, but their displays here at home gives reasons to doubt their standards and this puts us, as a footballing country, in a very awkward position.
Another thing that could be a factor is personal ego. Former referee Ace Ncobo once said coaches should abstain from name-calling match officials because in the end, matters might escalate to a personal level, which is something we have zero tolerance for.
If that is the case, then it is very unfortunate because we always expect everyone to act in a professional manner. The country knows who awards penalties in a match, therefore going as far as talking about a referee even after the game is uncalled for.
Whenever we get into these jobs, this is one of the things that form the unwritten code of conduct and we need to subscribe to it – we always need to protect the image and dignity of our colleagues.
That is why you will never find coaches going into the public domain and saying: “this coach doesn’t know coaching”.
Inasmuch as one can inflict pain on the other in one way or another, it doesn’t give one the licence to go out and seek revenge. It is something that should be discouraged in our football.
But in the end, we might never
know what the coach had said to the referee.
Looking forward towards the crunch time of the season, it is going to be interesting. Teams like Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are still to play sides that are fighting relegation and also battling for a top eight finish.
It is going to be fascinating to observe how Sundowns protect their lead until the end, and how teams like Pirates will demonstrate consistency to put up a fight for Absa Premiership honors. Even though there is huge improvement at Pirates, there are elements of inconsistency.
I would say it is not yet a done deal for Sundowns in terms of winning the title. The consistency part will determine who will win the league. If Pirates can win their remaining games, then I see them standing a good chance.