Bafana see red against Angola

ANDILE Jali’s red card against Angola on Friday was Bafana Bafana’s third inside the last year, making the past 12 months one of their worst since readmission with regards to discipline.

The midfielder received a second yellow card for his celebrations after netting a penalty with 10 minutes remaining in the 3-1 World Cup qualifier victory in Benguela, with the Ethiopian referee deciding his actions had incited the crowd to throw bottles at the players from the stands.

The red card was Bafana’s third in the past 12 months, after Reneilwe Letsholonyane was sent off against Nigeria in a 2015 African Nations Cup qualifier late last year.

And Siyabonga Zulu saw red in the 3-1 2017 Nations Cup qualifier loss in Mauritania in September.

Only once before since readmission have Bafana had more red cards in a 12-month period, having also previously gone five years without a single red.

Siboniso Gaxa was sent off against Jamaica in July 2005, with the next dismissal being Itumeleng Khune against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup on home soil.

Aside from the current run of reds, there is only one other time that the team were in such trouble with referees.

The side had a rash of red cards in the build-up to the 1998 World Cup.

Between February 1998 and June that year, they had four players sent to the stands, including Maimane Phiri against Denmark at the World Cup in France.

The Danes also finished that game with nine men.

Phil Masinga was the first Bafana player sent off, when he was dismissed in a 1-0 loss in Zambia in 1992.

Doctor Khumalo was sentoff twice in six months in 1994. There have been two occasions, when two players were sent off in the same game for Bafana, the first when the late Lesley Manyathela and Thabang Molefe saw red in a 4-1 loss to Georgia in 2002.

Saul Molapo and Tony Coyle also both saw red against Tunisia in 2003.

Jali’s dismissal was the 23rd time a Bafana player had been sent off since readmission, though three coaches have also been sent to the stands – Augusto Palacios, Trott Moloto and Pitso Mosimane.