Cedric Muvhali was right to punish Mamelodi Sundowns captain Themba Zwane by issuing him a yellow card for time-wasting in the MTN8 quarter-final match against Moroka Swallows last weekend, said SAFA Head of Referees Abdul Ebrahim.
Zwane was cautioned for what was deemed to be “delaying the time of the kickoff” by leaving the ball in the centre circle to greet their fans when the whistle was blown by Muvhali.
PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu has since summoned Sundowns to the DC for that incident on 24 August at 11 am and they will know their sanction then.
The decision by Sundowns and Zwane was deemed by the league as unacceptable, though players are allowed to greet their fans with their slogans before the game but not when the game has started.
“When we have live matches, they are an obvious set of times,” said Ebrahim.
“If the kick-off time is 15:00, you expect everyone to be ready for the game. You cannot allow players, match officials or anyone involved in the match to do their own things.
“When they [players] do that [greet fans], it must all happen before kick-off and not after the kick-off because we have the broadcasters.
“Players when they hear the whistle [in the dressing rooms], they need to come out and line up before they walk out onto the field.
“Sadly there are times that need to be respected and that particular incident when the referee blew the whistle to start the game, the Mamelodi Sundowns players decided to do their own thing when it was the kick-off to start the match.
“[This was] obviously a lack of respect, unsporting behaviour.”
When Ebrahim was asked, if it is compulsory for players to greet their fans in terms of the law of the games, Ebrahim said they can do that but it has to be before the kick-off.
“We are not saying they are wasting time, but what we are asking is that they must respect time,” reiterates Ebrahim.
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“If they know that kick-off is 15:00, then whatever things that they need to do like greeting the fans or clapping with the fans or whatever, they need to do that before the kick-off time.
“As soon as the referee indicates it is time to kick-off, the match must start.”
