Referee Jelly Chavani Gets Into Trouble After an Unacceptable String of Dodgy and Controversial Decisions

• Referee Jelly Chavani is not the flavour of the month after a string of poor calls for matches that he has officiated in
• He has caused controversy for his handling crucial moments in matches involving Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs
• Chavani was suspended twice this season already, with his latest indiscretion seeing him being demoted to officiating a lower league match

Premier Soccer League referee Jelly Chavani has come under fire for a string of poor decisions he has made recently in matches under his control.

Chavani just cannot seem to stay out of the limelight, particularly when it comes to Orlando Pirates matches. His mistakes, however, are not just limited to matches involving the Buccaneers.

News24 reported how, in October 2021, Chavani and fourth official Moeketsi Molelekoa were suspended for six weeks for an error in a match between Amazulu and Kaizer Chiefs in Durban. He incorrectly awarded the Amakhosi a penalty after the ball appeared to, but did not, touch the arm of an Amazulu player.

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Weeks after returning from that particular suspension, Chavani was again suspended, this time for four weeks, for a mistake he made in a Moroka Swallows-Orlando Pirates stalemate. He did not award a blatant penalty to a Pirates player, instead showing him a yellow card for alleged 'diving' as reported by The Citizen.

He hit rock bottom when he again denied the Buccaneers a stonewall penalty last week in a match against Golden Arrows. According to KickOff, Chavani somehow missed a handball in the penalty box Pirates chased the winner, with the game ending in a 0-0 draw.

According to the article, Chavani was demoted this past weekend, serving as a fourth official in the Glad Africa Championship (National First Division).

Ironically, he was named the Premier Soccer League Referee of the Year for the 2019/20 season.

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While referee Jelly Chavani tries to stave off criticism, compatriot Victor Gomes remains the toast of town in South Africa and the world.

As reported on Sports Brief, Gomes was showered with praise after his masterful handling of the 2021 African Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Egypt.

Gomes was the target of constant badgering by the Egyptians, who kept questioning his decisions. This led to him running out of patience, sarcastically offering the whistle to star Pharaohs man Mohamed Salah to take over refereeing duties.