We can’t afford another occasion where the spectacle is overshadowed by questionable decisions.
Now that the international break has come to an end, attention shifts firmly back to domestic football with the eagerly-anticipated MTN8 final between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday night.
This clash is more than just a cup decider, it carries all the ingredients of a grudge match. It’s a repeat of last year’s final that ended in controversial fashion.
On that occasion, the Buccaneers ran out 3-1 winners at Moses Mabhida Stadium, but the scoreline tells only half the story.
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With the game poised at 1-1 heading into stoppage time, controversy struck. Relebohile Mofokeng restarted play several metres away from where the foul had occurred, catching Stellies off guard. Tshegofatso Mabasa pounced, firing Pirates into a 2-1 lead. Stellies protested furiously, but the goal stood. Deflated, they conceded again almost immediately, Mofokeng sealing the result and handing Pirates their third successive MTN8 crown.
That incident remains fresh in people’s minds because it underlines a deeper issue, the poor standard of officiating in South African football, particularly in big matches. After the final whistle is blown, supporters should only be talking about the quality of football, and not whether the referee or his assistants decided the outcome.
My appeal to the match officials entrusted with Saturday’s final is simple, they must be brave, fair, and protect the integrity of the game. We can’t afford another occasion where the spectacle is overshadowed by questionable decisions.
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Finals are supposed to live long in the memories of football lovers for all the right reasons. One only has to look back to the 1998 Rothmans Cup final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs to see how officiating errors linger. Joel “Fire” Masilela’s legitimate goal for Sundowns was wrongly flagged for offside and more than two decades later, the bitterness of that decision remains part of the narrative.
We have just witnessed how the entire country united behind Bafana Bafana in their World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria at the Free State Stadium. There was unanimous agreement that Calvin Bassey’s equaliser for Nigeria should not have stood, as the ball clearly struck his hand before crossing the line. That same energy and honesty must be applied when discussing the domestic game. Poor refereeing must be called out without fear or favour.
While the upcoming final promises to be a spectacle, the nagging question remains, where will the next costly mistake come from? For the sake of the PSL’s reputation, I would be delighted to be proven wrong and see football emerge as the true winner. Stellenbosch, no doubt, will still feel the pain of last year’s defeat because they were robbed of a fair shot at glory.
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Pirates supporters, meanwhile, will argue that other errors went against them on the day. That is the nature of fandom, supporters see decisions through the lens of loyalty, but ultimately, two wrongs never make a right. Good luck to both teams and let football be the winner, the PSL does not need another final remembered more for finger-pointing and contentious decisions.