Sundowns Robbed A Goal v Arrows? Ref Expert…

Photo Credit: Gallo Images/Lefty Shivambu

A Former PSL and FIFA referee has weighed in on Mamelodi Sundowns’ disallowed goal against Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership encounter on Wednesday.

Even though ten-man Sundowns won 2-1 against Arrows, there is disgruntlement among the fanbase after Nuno Santos had a goal disallowed around the 64th minute, which could have taken them to the top of the standings.

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Iqraam Rayners appeared to be in an offside position before Santos hit the ball, but quickly returned to being marginally onside by the time the Portuguese midfielder unleashed the low shot, which he attempted to slightly deflect with a backheel.

Santos’ shot found the back of the net, but the referee Siyabulela Qunta disallowed the goal.

Dr. Errol Sweeney, speaking to Soccer Laduma, clarified the offside law in this instance.

“If you’re in an offside position and the ball is played to you, you can’t put yourself onside by becoming onside. If you’re offside and you’re coming back from an offside position, to an onside position, and the ball is played to you, you’re still considered to be offside,” Sweeney said.

“Was the goal disallowed for the player interfering with the goalkeeper’s view, which he was not, so the only thing is that he was in an offside position, that the referee gave an offside against that player (Rayners).”

The assistant referee did not raise his flag for offside, and Sweeney, although he admitted that the referee is entitled to over-rule the assistant referee, he also questioned the referee’s distance and position to call out an offside.

“He is entitled, if he thinks the assistant referee made a mistake by not putting up the flag, he can blow for offside. But I don’t know how he would do that, because he must be at least 15, 20 metres from the actual player who was considered to be offside,” Sweeney said.

“So how can he decide, you have to be looking straight across, to be able to see whether the attacking player was offside or not, but he wasn’t, so how did he decide that on his own? I find that very strange, because I mean it was tight.

“If the player was onside or offside, it was very tight, the players were literally standing together, side by side, and how he could decide that on his own seems strange to me,” Sweeney said.

‘The Hanging Judge’, as the former PSL referee was known during his days, ruled out the possibility of Rayners potentially obstructing the goalkeeper Thakasani Mbanjwa, in the disallowed goal-passage-of-play.

“In this instance anyway, there was at least five or six metres between the goalkeeper and the attacking player. If he was standing right in front of the goalkeeper and blocking him, yes absolutely give the free-kick to the goalkeeper,” Sweeney said.

“But not this, I find it very strange,” Sweeney added.

READ: Ten-Man Sundowns Sneak Past Arrows

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