PSL: ‘Referee Made an Incorrect Decision’ on Mothwa

On Friday, 30 Oct 2023, former PSL referee Faiek Daniels commented on the own goal conceded by Veli Mothwa in the league match between Chippa United and AmaZulu. AmaZulu looked to be on their way to victory after Mbongeni Gumede’s first-half goal before Mothwa’s own goal in the 78th minute.

Mothwa had initially looked to have the ball in his hands safely before dropping it after what appeared to be a push from Chippa striker Elmo Kambindu. Referee Moses Kheswa allowed the goal to stand, despite one of his assistants having appeared to have a different view on what happened.

Daniels believes that the referee might have erred in allowing the goal to stand. “From the referee’s point of view and the assistant’s point of view, you must remember that the referee was in the penalty area and closer to the action. So, he made the decision based on what he saw looking from the front. The assistant referee was on the right-hand side and 40 yards away,” said Daniels.

“What the assistant referee saw was the ball being pushed into the net by the goalkeeper. What the referee saw was, after the goalkeeper had the ball the first time and tried to catch it, the player put his hands on the goalkeeper and that caused the goalkeeper to lose control of the ball and I think the referee made an incorrect decision in that situation,” he added.

The Chilli Boys finished the controversial match with nine players as Thabiso Lebitso and Kambindu were sent off in separate incidents in the second half.