Former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo has praised the assistant referee for making the right decision ahead of Orlando Pirates’ opener against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Monnapule Saleng assisted Kermit Erasmus’ opener in the eighth minute after beating Aubrey Modiba on the right wing, with some fans expecting the assistant referee on the day to raise his flag for the ball crossing the line.
However, Ncobo insisted that the ball had not gone out completely, praising the assistant for a “spot on” decision.
“The entire circumference of the ball must go over the line in order for the ball to be out,” he said on SuperSport’s Extra Time.
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“The whole ball, if there is a tiny fraction of the ball that is still on top of the line, that ball is in play.
“There must be daylight between the ball and the line for the ball to be out of play.
“The moment that Saleng touched that ball to keep it in play, there was at least 25% of the ball that touched the line.
“If it is on the line, it means it is inside the field of play, because the line forms part of the field of play.
“There was nothing wrong done by the assistant referee there – spot on decision to communicate with the referee that the ball is still inside the field of play for Kermit Erasmus to score.”
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