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SIHLANGU LODGE PROTEST

29/05/2019 01:45:00 BY NTOKOZO MAGONGO

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(In Durban, courtesy of Inyatsi Construction)

DURBAN - The national team, Sihlangu have lodged a protest with the Confederation Of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA).

This comes after their game against Comoros was officiated by referees from Mauritius, who are also in same Group A with Sihlangu.

The match officials were Ganesh Chutoore, who was the referee, and Ram Babajee, who was the first assistance and the second assistant, as well as Mogomotsi Morakile from Botswana. Some of the decisions made by the officials during the 2-all draw against Comoros on Monday afternoon left Sihlangu frustrated and not happy as reaction by coach Kostadin Papic on the sidelines was clear that he was not happy with the officiating on the day.

Delaying

The referees denied Sihlangu a penalty in the first half of the match and they let Comoros players engage in over-elaborate match delaying tactics..
A source close to the matter said the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) did raise a concern with COSAFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the officiating of match officials from the same group.

“The issue of the match officials was raised before the match with COSAFA but it was said the referees were professionals but their officiating in the match was never close to professionalism. It was not fair on our side and such things should be avoided in the future,” said the source.

Control

EFA Communications and Marketing Officer Muzi Radebe said they had no control over match officiating and they respect the decisions made by COSAFA. Coach Papic confirmed that he advised the EFA to protest as it was the biggest mistake to be done by the organisers of the tournament. “It’s the biggest mistake by the organisers and I advised our officials to protest even before the match.

This is not an excuse but it’s something that is not supposed to be happening. They may claim that they are professionals but it’s not supposed to be happening,” he said.

Papic said they played well and they were supposed to win their games even if they were playing against 13 players. Papic said he was not blaming the referees for failing to win.