AmaZulu FC coach Arthur Zwane and his Stellenbosch FC counterpart Gavin Hunt have shared their sentiments on the dubious penalty awarded during their Betway Premiership clash at the Danie Craven Stadium on Friday evening.
Stellenbosch secured a 1-0 victory over Usuthu to move to ninth position on the Betway Premiership log standings. It was a second successive win for the Gavin Hunt-led side following a 2-1 victory against Kaizer Chiefs on Tuesday in Soweto.
Ibraheem Jabaar scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute of the match against Usuthu. However, the Nigerian failed to double the score following the controversial penalty in the 64th minute.
The home side was awarded a penalty under bizarre circumstances. As AmaZulu goalkeeper Darren Johnson attempted a clearance, Devin Titus rushed in to charge down the ball. Although the contact appeared to be a natural follow-through from the keeper’s kick, referee Moreki Lekwape pointed to the spot, a decision that left both players and spectators in a state of disbelief.
WHAT ARTHUR ZWANE AND GAVIN HUNT SAID ABOUT THE PENALTY AWARDED TO STELLENBOSCH FC
“I don’t know what the hell that was for,” said Hunt during a post-match press briefing.
“Actually, to be fair, I came here three years ago with SuperSport [United]. We got a penalty when a goalkeeper punched a ball and went through and punched our player, and we got a penalty for that, which I thought was a bit harsh as well.
“I don’t think Devin touched the ball. I think it was more of a follow-through, and he missed it. Yeah, but that was a little bit harsh. I don’t think it was a penalty.”
Usuthu coach Arthur Zwane also shared the same sentiments during the same post-match press conference.
“When a match official gives a dubious penalty like that, it tells you that something is not right,” said Zwane.
“That was never a penalty—not on any given day. They had the chance to score and kill the game off, but these are the kind of incidents we see week in and week out. It’s exactly these decisions that damage the image of the PSL.”
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