Kaizer Chiefs defied the odds by beating Mamelodi Sundowns last weekend, cementing their first final in six years.
Masandawana’s Teboho Mokoena fired the hosts into the lead moments before the first-half whistle. A 57th-minute Wandile Duba goal put the visitors back level before former Maroon striker Ashley Du Preez sent AmaKhosi fans into pandemonium, converting a tap-in in the dying moments.
Individually, It was a much-needed goal for the 28-year-old forward, who has managed only five across all competitions this season. However, replays show that it was wrongly awarded after he was spotted in an offside position.
Words from a former ref
Former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo confirmed the goal’s ineligibility but insinuated Sundowns was the victim of no VAR rather than the linesman’s error.
“So when we work in a country that doesn’t have VAR, that’s what happens. Just go back and look at the images. You have the images, get the images from the TV, and there is a team that loses this competition due to mistakes from the referee.
“The distance between the striker and the goal line is 10.4 cm. The distance between the defender and the goal line is 10.9 m. Who is closer? The one with 10.4 m – the striker is closer to that goal line than the second-last defender, and that’s all that matters,” Ncobo explained.
“The assistant referee is human; he was caught for pace. His football mind told him that the defenders would kick that ball out. So, that’s why he was just half a meter away from the offside line. That was offside. It should have been picked up as an offside. It was not a legitimate goal; it was given as a goal incorrectly.”
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