Bafana Bafana Legends Slam Referee Over VAR Call That Denied South Africa a Late Penalty vs Egypt
Bafana Bafana legends slam referee over VAR call that denied South Africa a late penalty vs Egypt
Two Bafana Bafana legends Itumeleng Khune and Steven Pienaar have both expressed their concerns over referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana’s decision to deny South Africa a late penalty during their 1-0 loss to Egypt at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Pharaohs were awarded a controversial penalty call in the first half with Mohamed Salah making no mistake in putting the ball past Ronwen Williams who was in goal for Bafana Bafana.
The seven-time AFCON champions were down to 10 men few minutes before the break, but they held on to the lone goal scored by Salah in the first half to secure all three points that booked a place in the final.
Bafana legends questions ref on VAR call
Bafana Bafana believed they had secured a late penalty after the ball appeared to strike an Egyptian defender’s arm inside the area. The ref awarded South Africa a free-kick outside the box before being called by VAR for a review.
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But following an extended VAR check, during which referee Ndabihawenimana was sent to review the incident on the monitor, the decision was overturned and play was allowed to continue.
In the SABC studio, Khune expressed his confusion, describing it as an “extremely disappointing call.”
“We were certain it was a straightforward penalty—everyone could see it happened inside the box. Why it wasn’t awarded is beyond our understanding,” he added.
“It’s truly a letdown from the official,” Khune concluded.
Pienaar on the other hand took to his official handle on X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his disappointment in the referee's decision while also hailing the Bafana Bafana side.
"Well done Bafana Bafana, we can’t play against the ref and Egypt," the former South African international tweeted on X.
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Source: Briefly News
