Photo Credit: Gallo Images/Philip Maeta
After Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso lamented the lack of control from referees in the recent big matches in the Betway Premiership, Soccer Laduma analyzes whether South African officials are too lenient, looking at their statistics so far this season.
Cardoso felt that the referees in charge of the big matches should be able to stamp their authority and not tolerate brutality in the field of play for the sake of allowing the flow of the match.
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“I think you should make an analysis because in the past weeks we had two of the biggest matches that can be played in South Africa, we had Orlando Pirates/Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns/Kaizer Chiefs,” Cardoso said in a post-match press conference after a 1-1 draw against Chiefs.
“And I remember in the past you asked me a lot about the level of South African football in this room. After these two matches, you have an answer, that’s basically the conclusion we have to do, there is still a lot to do to develop the game.
“It was fights from the beginning, in Pirates match fights from the beginning, fights in the air, kicking in the front, kicking ass, kicking players, kicking legs, kicking everything, I don’t think it’s the best way to think about the future of the game here,” Cardoso said.
In retrospect, South African referees appear to be too lenient when it comes to punishing players, as there were a lot of incidents in both matches that deserved cards, but the officials in charge perhaps did not want to spoil the match, especially in the early stages, as has become the norm.
Statistics reveal that of the top referees in the country, no official has dished out more than two straight red cards so far this season, with Abongile Tom, who was in charge of the recent Soweto derby only showing one red card from all his Betway Premiership games to date (it boggles the mind that Tom did not produce even a single yellow card in the recent Soweto derby).
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