Video of Offside Call in Cape Town Spurs vs Polokwane City Match Puts More Scrutiny on SA Refereeing Standards

• Cape Town Spurs shared a video of a dreadful offside call in a match against Polokwane City on its Twitter account that has set tongues wagging
• Spurs were denied a perfectly good goal after the lineswoman inexplicably raised the flag following one of their players pounced on a deflection in the box
• At the time, the club released a statement demanding intervention by the sports ministry, but the footage has stunned the local football fraternity

The standard of refereeing in South African football has been brought under renewed scrutiny following the circulation of a video on social media of very poor officiating.

In a match involving Cape Town Spurs and Polokwane City at Athlone Stadium in the Mother City, the home team was denied a straightforward goal after the lineswoman flagged a Spurs player for being offside.

The unnamed player pounced to score off a deflection in between two City defenders, being onside by more than two metres. However, the assistant saw it differently to the shock and surprise of the commentators. The decision was significant, as the match went on to finish in a 1-1 draw.

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Spurs released a media statement which Sports Brief reported on, asking for the Minister of Sports Nathi Mthethwa to intervene in the undeniably mediocre standard of refereeing currently blighting the local game.

The club said:

“One cannot expect officials to be on a match-to-match 'pay-as-you-play' basis without a fixed monthly income that they can count on month after month."

“The current status is an ideal breeding ground for unscrupulous behaviour and low quality officiating. It could be that accepting all sorts of favours is the only way for some to feed their families and stay afloat."

Legendary former FIFA referee Ace "Mr Spot on" Ngcobo explains strict instances when VAR can be used

Former FIFA referee Ace "Mr Spot On" Ngcobo once again schooled football fans about the laws governing football.

As reported on Sports Brief, Ngcobo was speaking on SuperSport last night on its programme "Extra Time", explaining when referees were allowed to turn to the video assistant referee.

This was in relation to a controversial moment in the CAF Champions League quarterfinal second leg match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Petro de Luanda.