Former FIFA referee and VAR instructor Jerome Damon has offered his expert analysis on the contentious refereeing decisions that punctuated the Nedbank Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
Chiefs’ 2-1 win over arch-rivals Pirates ended their near decade-long trophy drought, but the intense Soweto Derby clash at a packed Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday was marred by several controversial refereeing decisions.
The derby’s first major talking point arrived in the eighth minute when Deano Van Rooyen’s clumsy challenge from behind on Pule Mmodi inside the penalty area prompted referee Masixole Bambiso, to point to the spot. Gaston Sirino converted, handing Amakhosi the early advantage.
Ex-PSL referee Damon backed the decision. “When Mmodi roasted Van Rooyen down the left flank in the 8th minute, you knew something was coming. Boom – a sharp whistle. Penalty,” he said in his Hollywoodbets Sports column.
“One commentator muttered, “That was soft.” But, nah – in the Laws of the Game, there’s no such thing as a soft penalty. Van Rooyen clumsily clipped his man. That’s a foul in any stadium in the world.
“How did I know it was the right call before the replay? Easy. The Pirates players barely protested. And the defender closest to Bambiso? Just threw his arms up and walked away. That body language doesn’t lie.”
DAMON ON MIGUEL TACKLE IN SOWETO DERBY: ‘COULD’VE GONE EITHER WAY’
Evidence Makhopa’s 17th-minute equaliser for Pirates was followed by another controversial moment just after the second-half restart. Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel executed a rugby-style tackle, using his hands to pull down Mohau Nkota near the Pirates bench.
Despite the nature of the challenge, the referee only issued a yellow card to Miguel, a decision that drew considerable criticism. “Later came, the Miguel-on-Nkota flashpoint right in front of the Pirates bench – cue theatrics. The bench lost it, demanding red. Bambiso went yellow,” added Damon.
“I’ve seen the replay. It was one of those “orange” tackles right on the edge. Could’ve gone either way. But Bambiso stuck to his guns, and in fairness, no one whined too much after.”
As the Nedbank Cup final stood at 1-1, the 68th minute saw a flurry of incidents. Wandile Duba’s nasty tackle on Makhehlene Makhaula went unpunished, followed by a yellow card for Duba after a confrontation with Mbekezeli Mbokazi. Damon agreed with the yellow card but cited the unpunished tackle as the referee’s sole error.
He also supported the referee’s judgment in not awarding a penalty against Chiefs for Miguel’s apparent contact with Relebohile Mofokeng’s wrist in the box. This series of incidents unfolded before Yusuf Maart secured the Nedbank Cup for Chiefs with the winning goal.
“The only real blemish? Minute 68. Duba’s nasty stomp on Makhaula’s Achilles after the whistle,” declared Damon.
“Bambiso called the foul but missed the stomp. If we had VAR? Chiefs would’ve been down to 10. No doubt. That kind of sly move is the stuff referees hate to miss. But again, from the angle he had, you can’t fault the call,” added Damon.
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