Menzi Magubane
Extra Time: As South Africans we seem to have developed this tendency to destroy what we should protect, writes Menzi Magubane.
The attack on referee Victor Gomes on social media about his officiating in the match between Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu on Sunday is a disgrace.
Dishing out four red cards in a single match is not new in football and Gomes is one of the best referees the country has produced in recent years.
Yes, he is strict but his level of officiating is outstanding.
He would not have been invited by Fifa to officiate in the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup starting next month if his officiating was bad. After all, he has the Fifa licence and the country should be proud of him for being the first to officiate at a World Cup.
Some people who were not happy about the way he handled Sunday’s match went on to abuse him online. People are bad mouthing him because they don’t understand his work ethic and the rules of the game.
“The problem with referee Victor Gomes is that he is convinced that he is a celebrity,” Mario Mpofu said after the game.
“He always needs to be the centre of attention, he even stars in TV commercials. Gomes is convinced football fans come to see him as the main attraction. That is not good for South African football, it’s embarrassing to watch.”
Okay, if we look back at the red cards that he gave the players and the assistant coach you could see that it was within his right to do so.
The first one was for AmaZulu defender Veluyeke Zulu. The player received two yellow cards for hitting different opponents in the face. And Gomes had warned him a number of times before giving the yellow cards.
The second and third were given to people who were not on the field but on the bench. Gabadinho Mhango is known for his ill-discipline and Gomes’s match assistant was the one that called him to come and intervene on the touchline.
Having talked with his assistant, Gomes rushed to Mhango, who was already substituted, and gave him a straight red. The third assistant coach Johan Abselo was also sent down the tunnel for dissent.
So, who do you blame for those red cards – the referee or the ill-disciplined parties?
Usuthu coach Brandon Truter should have controlled his bench instead of telling the media that Gomes was against his team and the Chiefs. After the match, Chiefs player George Matlou, who didn’t play, also saw red after initiating chaos.
In the same incident, Gomes acted according to rules that permitted him to give players or coaches red cards even if the match was over as long as they were still on the pitch.
I urge football lovers to take the time and read the rules of the game before bashing referees for doing their jobs.
Image source: @TimesLive
