Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has questioned the overruling of their injury-time penalty, even though he admitted it was probably the right call.
Match official Jelly Chavani had pointed to the spot for an alleged handball by Keagan Dolly in the Kaizer Chiefs box in the seventh minute of injury time but changed his decision following discussion with seemingly his assistant and the fourth official.
There was an initial outcry by Stellenbosch players and the technical team, but Barker later admitted it was probably the right call.
“I’ve heard that it probably was the correct decision,” Barker said after the match.
“But whether we have a delayed VAR system in our country, unofficially, it seems like it was the case. So as long as there is consistency with that going forward.
“I’m not too sure if it was the other team today that got the penalty with two minutes to go that it would have been overturned… But hopefully it would have been.”
Barker also discussed that his side had practiced penalties in the build-up to the game and didn’t want to criticise Dino Van Rooyen and Luezi Likuta.
“We created yesterday at training a penalty shootout competition, we tried to replicate, tried to create a situation where players be in different teams, walk, get the ball, the whole procedure,”
“We had done that a couple of times, hopefully to recreate [the [pressure] and also for me to see who taking the penalties, who is looking good at taking the penalties.
“So we knew who our takers were and they were also wanting to be taking. You’ve got to be brave to take penalties, it’s not easy in front of a packed crowd to take a penalty.
You hit the target, keeper has made a save, probably not enough pace in the penalties [we missed] but I’m never going to blame players for missing penalties. I’d rather praise them for having the courage to take.”
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