Former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo has explained why the referee made a mistake in giving Abbubaker Mobara a red card against Orlando Pirates.
The Buccaneers beat Usuthu 1-0 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday but the visitors played over a half with 10 men after referee Cedric Muvhali sent Mobara off for a contentious foul on Patrick Maswanganyi.
The comes after AmaZulu already felt they were disadvantaged in their 4-2 Nedbank Cup defeat to Pirates a week prior – with Ncobo arguing that Muvhali didn’t make the right call to send Mobara off.
“I do not buy the decision to give that red card was the correct decision,” he said on Extra-Time.
“For starters, the striker takes the ball with the outside of his left foot, which for me takes the direction towards goal away – that’s the first point.
“For me the defender would’ve had an opportunity to get to the ball. And the referees view here is obscured by no less than two players.
“It’s the application of the DDPP principle – it’s direction, distance, possession and proximity of other defender.
“The moment you take away any of those four considerations and they are not yes-situations – is it a straight direction towards goal, is it a yes or no and I’d say no because at that moment just before he was fouled he took the ball away from that direction.
“Secondly, there is a case to be made for the proximity of another defender, who was running very fast, who could’ve had a stake to claim defence of that ball, had he manahed to get past Mobara.
“I have not found a conclusive that shows me that there was a foul tackle. There is no case for me to show the striker was fouled. There is no conclusive evidence for the foul.
“Even as I’m analysing elements of DOGSO (denying obvious goal scoring opportunity), I could not find the foul that would then lead to free-kick and the free-kick would mean denied a goal scoring opportunity and a red card.
“I’m not convinced, I think at best there was indeed a foul – yellow card for breaking a promising attack.”
