Soweto Derby: Referee Explains Why It Was Right Call to Award Penalty Against Kaizer Chiefs

• Former PSL referee Errol Sweeney said official Masixole Bambiso should not have played advantage during the controversial penalty decision in the Soweto derby
• Orlando Pirates star Patrick Maswangyi cooly dispatched the late penalty in their 1-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday, 1 February 2025
• Local football fans reacted on social media to agree with Sweeney, while others said Bambiso made a mistake by awarding the penalty

Following the controversial penalty decision in the Soweto derby on Saturday, 1 February 2025, former PSL referee Errol Sweeney said Masixole Bambiso should not have played advantage.

During the hotly contested PSL fixture, Bambiso awarded a late penalty after Kaizer Chiefs star Njabulo Blom impeded Orlando Pirates winger Relebohile Mofokeng in the box.

Bambiso played advantage, but Mofokeng missed his shot, only for the referee to call play back and award a penalty, much to the dismay of Chiefs.

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Errol Sweeney weighs in on Masixole Bambiso’s decision

Sweeney speaks about the penalty decision in the tweet below:

According to Soccer Laduma, Irish-based Sweeney said the Bambiso should not have played advantage while he agreed with sports analyst Uche Anuma that the decision was correct.

Sweeney said:

“Allowing an advantage is dangerous because if it doesn't come off then the referee cannot go back, although recently I have noticed that they do. This is soccer, not rugby where they do go back if an advantage does not materialise. As a young referee, I was always advised not to give advantages in the penalty area, and I stuck by that unless it was very clear and obvious. I’m not sure what the South African referees are instructed to do.”

Watch the tackle that led to the penalty in the video below:

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Derby was tightly contested

While Pirates walked away with the three points, fans were treated to a tightly contested contest with both sides living up to the derby hype.

Maswanganyi’s late goal kept them second on the log, six points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, although the Soweto giants have a game in hand.

For Chiefs though, the match ended on a sour note as coach Nasreddine Nabi was left fuming by the decision.

Fans are divided about Sweeney’s views

Local football fans reacted on social media to express divided opinions about Sweeny’s comments with some agreeing and others saying the penalty should not have happened.

Motho Feela agreed with the decision:

“We all agree it was a penalty and the ref gave an advantage. The question should not be whether it was an advantage taking into consideration that the player who impeached the player is not far from the player and the goalkeeper manages to take a few steps towards the infringed player. There was no advantage, so the ref is spot on.”

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Victor VGstatus gave the bottom line:

“The bottom line is that a penalty was supposed to be given and it was given. It's a different thing if there was no foul altogether.”

Danny Moreo disagreed:

“For me, the ref applied law 12 and 5 at the same time, no penalty for me.”

Sejako Hlabirwa Isaacs blamed the PSL:

“No, the PSL must be serious about referees' experiences.”

Katlego Rodwell Dibakoane said the referee made the right decision:

“If VAR was used the penalty was going to be awarded and also Bvuma didn’t make the save but he took out Rele. You can reason and dispute but that it is still a penalty because two fouls were committed on the same player.”

Kaizer Chiefs are urged to sign Bafana Bafana international

As reported by Briefly News, Kaizer Chiefs have been urged to sign Orlando Pirates star Monnapule Saleng after their Soweto derby defeat on Saturday, 1 February 2025.

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Former Kaizer Chiefs star against ref's decision to award Pirates a penalty

Chiefs lost the derby 1-0 to Pirates after Patrick Maswanganyi scored a late penalty after Masixole Bambiso awarded a spot kick for a foul on Relebohile Mofokeng.

Source: Briefly News