There are no changes with regards to SAFA’s four suspended referees – Luxolo Badi, Cledwin Baloyi, Tshidiso Maruping and Simukele Jali, who were put on ice by the mother body of football last month.
They were sent to the rehabilitation program last month by SAFA after they had committed errors that left clubs fuming.
Badi and Jali disallowed a legitimate goal when AmaZulu midfielder Hendrick Ekstein thought he had scored what was an equaliser against Royal AM at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on 25 February.
Ekstein tucked home the ball in the second half, but Jali raised his flag for offside, raising a fury to AmaZulu management and coach Romain Folz after the game.
It was a wrong call as the former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder was put onside since the ball did not come from his fellow teammates, but from a Royal AM player, in which by FIFA law he was onside even if he was in the offside position.
Usuthu management then lodged an official complaint to the PSL that they felt the referees are no longer making mistakes, but there is more to it especially for AmaZulu this season, which was confirmed by the club president Sandile Zungu.
Baloyi and Maruping were also wrong in applying the law after shock officiating in their matches in January.
Baloyi was the first assistant when he denied Swallows FC a clear goal against TS Galaxy at Dobsonville Stadium. He raised his flag early, indicating that Waseem Isaacs was offside before Keegan Allen scored what could have been the winning goal at the end.
That left Swallows players and technical staff furious, leading then coach Ernst Middendorp’s assistant Musa Nyatama being sent off for using unkind words to Baloyi at the end.
Maruping got his decision wrong when he awarded Golden Arrows a penalty against SuperSport United at Princess Magogo Stadium on 7 January.
The ball bounced to Siyabonga Nhlapo’s arm that was folded, but based on what he saw, he pointed to the spot and Arrows won the match at the end, leaving coach Gavin Hunt fuming.
Then SAFA Review Committee decided to suspend them for a foreseeable time to referee in the lower divisions and also in the DStv Diski Challenge, just like Badi did recently with Cape Town and Orlando Pirates.
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However, SAFA head of referees Abdul Ebrahim has given an update on their situation, saying they will only be called up to officiate in the top flight matches once the Review Committee is satisfied with their rehabilitation.
“They are on the program at the moment and when they are ready they will return to officiating and that is what it is at the moment,” said Ebrahim.
All four, though, were part of SAFA mid-season workshop in the ongoing FIFA break that was conducted by the mother body of football a few days ago, overseen by SAFA top brass – Ebrahim, Jerome Damon and Victor Hlungwani.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
