Former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo has insisted that Itumeleng Khune broke the law during his penalty heroics against Stellenbosch FC in Kaizer Chiefs’ MTN8 quarter-final.
Amakhosi beat the home side at a packed Danie Craven Stadium 4-3 on penalties on Sunday after Khune saved the spot-kicks from Dino Van Rooyen and Luezi Likuta to write the headlines in his first start since May 2021.
However, Ncobo explained that the penalties should’ve been retaken because had moved completely off his line for both spot-kicks he’s saved, insisting the match officials didn’t do their job.
“If Khune has a team to play for, he has penalties to save,” he said on SuperSport’s Extra Time.
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“He has laws to break. The people that must deal with him when he breaks those laws are the referees. And on the day they did not do so.
“You look at the movement away from the line, you look at both the assistant referee and referee both looking at the kicker and nobody looking at that.
“We don’t even have to take both of them [Khune’s saves] because they are almost identical. He was already out of the line, he is already breaking the law. None of those two who are supposed to ensure that if he does save it there is a retake. None of this.”
Ncobo insisted that the assistant referee should’ve been the one to point out the foul-play by the Chiefs goalkeeper.
“The assistant referee, look where he’s looking, he’s looking at the kicker. His job is to look at the wrongness Khune is doing,” he added.
“What does the law say in instances like that? The law says ‘when the ball is kicked, the defending goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line’.
“He is allowed to move forward [but] there must be a part of his foot touching the goalie. You can’t move away with your entire body away from the goal-line with two officials allowing that.
“The heroic saving is there, we can’t fault him, he wants to play for his team, he’s winning matches, but these are the people are making my face look so ugly tonight.”
Ncobo Judges Stellies-Chiefs Penalty Incident
