Ex FIFA Referee Explains Why It Was Difficult to Rule Out Kaizer Chiefs Offside Goal

• Kaizer Chiefs secured a dramatic win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final, with a controversial late goal by Ashley Du Preez
• Former FIFA international referee Jerome Damon explains why the offside decision was difficult for the match officials to rule out, especially in the absence of VAR
• Damon discusses the marginal nature of the offside decision and how the quick pace of the game made it challenging for referees to call

Former FIFA referee Jerome Damon has shared his thoughts on the controversial goal scored by Kaizer Chiefs against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final on Sunday, April 13, 2025.

The Glamour Boys came back from a goal down in the first half to score two goals and defeat the Brazilians at Loftus Versfeld Stadium for the first time this season.

The major talking point in the match was the late winner scored by Ashley Du Preez, which gave Amakhosi the win. The replay showed the South African striker appeared offside before receiving the pass.

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Damon explains why it's difficult to rule out Chiefs' offside goal

In an interview with Soccer Laduma, Damon gave a detailed explanation of why the match officials were in a difficult situation, making it hard for them to rule out the goal.

According to the former FIFA international referee, the still images from the replays implied that Du Preez was offside, but the referees had to make a marginal decision without the benefit of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the play before making their call.

The action was quick, and Damon believes the offside call was not clear enough for the match officials to see at that moment.

"Based on what we saw from Du Preez's movement, it appeared to be offside," Damon shared during the interview.

"We didn't have the benefit of the VAR lines this time, but from the eye test, it looked off — and with VAR in play, I think that call would've gone the other way.

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"From our vantage point, it certainly seemed offside and probably shouldn’t have counted.

"But football is a game where we learn to live with tough calls. Even though it looked like an offside situation, it wasn’t a clear-cut case with a big gap between the attacker and the last defender.

"That kind of decision puts the officials in a tricky spot — and without VAR, sometimes you just have to accept the judgment on the field."

The goal knocked Sundowns out of the competition, ending their chances of winning a treble this season. Kaizer Chiefs secured a place in the final, where they would face their archrivals Orlando Pirates.

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Source: Briefly News