Sunday, 17 January 2016

THE PENALTY KINGS! Kaizer Chiefs do it again... but questions have to be asked

ON THE SPOT: Willard Katsande again
THERE'S a trend emerging in the PSL. And it has to be talked about. Kaizer Chiefs, utterly ineffective up front but still in the title race, have been awarded FOUR PENALTIES in their last FOUR GAMES.

It's never comfortable having a go at South Africa's most popular club. They have a reputed following of 15 million in a nation of 60 million. They are an institution. They are the current champions. But it's getting hard to ignore the help they're getting from South Africa's sub-standard officials in recent weeks.


Here are the facts: Apart from the drab 0-0 draw with current leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, we have the Telkom KO final, the 2-1 win over Bidvest Wits and Sunday’s 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic as evidence.

The two penalties in the final were simply laughable. Chiefs were never in the game. Referee Khulisani Qongqo offered Steve Komphela’s lacklustre troops a way back in TWICE but Siphiwe Tshabalala and Camaldine Abroad both saw their penalties saved by Man of the Final Dennis Onyango.

Triumphant Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane simply laughed about the spot-kicks afterwards: “You all saw it… you know” he said, and avoided another PSL fine. After all, it was December 16, Reconciliation Day.

Fast forward three days to the big League clash: Against Bidvest Wits in Cape Town on December 19. Gavin Hunt, slightly more aggressive than Mosimane, was beaten 2-1 after referee Daniel Bennett offered Chiefs another penalty - this time it looked a reasonable shout - amid a couple of crucial pro-Chiefs decisions, including a missed off-side for the winner.

Hunt said: “We knew Chiefs would get a start, you saw it, but what can we do? Wits are an unfashionable club. You know how it works.”

And so to Sunday in Bloemfontein. Good atmosphere, poor surface, not a great game. Chiefs were probably the better side but when Malawian Gabadinho “Frank” Mhango broke in to the box for Celtic and was tripped by Tower Mathoho, referee Thabo Mkosi immediately blew.

But was it a penalty? NO! He cautioned the unfortunate Mhango for “simulation” and Steve Komphela’s men were off the hook. At half-time, we all saw the replays. We all saw the truth.  Celtic had been robbed.

Then, with 70 minutes gone and not a goal in sight, Chiefs new signing William Twala, on as a sub for the lamentable Ugandan Sula Matovu, hit the post with Cameroonian goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb getting a touch.


That looked like it was going to be the closest thing to a goal we’d see - until Twala fell over running in to the box with Aphiwe Lubisi minutes later. Former Orlando Pirates winger Twala, signed in some kind of swap deal with Chippa United which saw him “released from his contract” must be laughing like a drain.

Lubisi had a hand out as Twala went across him. He touched his back. There was contact. But then came the Olympic dive and the now-traditional PENALTY FOR KAIZER CHIEFS!

And who better to put it away than the Willard Katsande, for me the best defensive midfielder in the country. After those two Telkom final misses, Katsande - who celebrated his 30th birthday last Friday - assumed the responsibility against Wits. And he did it again in Bloemfontein.

Of course the AmaDrawsi - heading towards 8 draws out of 14 (and threatening SuperSport United’s 2012-13 record of 17 in a season) - won’t agree but it feels like Katsande is currently Chiefs best - perhaps only - threat. From 12 yards of course.

He now has as many goals as the once-prolific Bernard Parker (2) and with 16 games still to come in a poorly scheduled PSL, he could yet reach double figures if the penalties keep coming. Nobody deserves it more than Katsande, a humble, terrific character.

But the point is, people see the decisions. The penalties. My phone was red hot on Sunday with people involved in the game questioning another spot kick win for Chiefs, who have lost just once this season and are now FIVE short of Sundowns and Aces at the top.

But when Serame Letsoake came out to talk to Robert Marawa after the game, Chiefs coach Steve Komphela was asked to stay in the frame. And when the crucial penalty question came, the articulate former team-mate stopped the under-pressure Letsoake from replying.

“Of course it was a penalty, there was a shove,” said Komphela, talking over his rival. He then blathered on about enemies and friends and when he walked away, with Letsoake crying “Steve, Steve…” the penalty question was NEVER repeated.

I’m not saying the debate is deliberately avoided. Or that replays of these incidents are deliberately avoided by SuperSport in their bid to stay cosy, even AmaKhosi, with the big guns of the PSL.

All I’m saying is: WE SEE YOU. Four penalties, four games. Nobody can prove anything (though football and cricket match-fixing have been uncovered in this country several times in recent years) but it can’t be ignored.


The people who KNOW football are aware. Coaches, players, former referees and elderly journalists who have spent 40 years covering football all over the world. We know. It has to stop. Please.

18 comments:

  1. Its clear that you hate Chiefs with Passion. I used to look forward to reading your blog, sadly not anymore.. In recent times, you write nothing positive about Chiefs and could not even to pretend and congratulate us wen we won the league last season. You have lost a follower in me and dont see myself changing my mindset..

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    1. Nobody louder in my support than me when League was won with record points-haul. Sadly, within weeks, Bobby got rid of your coach, top scorer and best player. Not easy to stay supportive... but no bias against.

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    2. Chiefs is the most supported club and YES it's easy for them to always get favours from the official they leading in that department LORD knows

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  2. It is a penalty, it isn't a penalty is an age old argument in football. Just like offside. You admit the wits penalty was justified.yet you still counted it your list of dodgy penalties. Twala wasn't just shoved but shoulder charged, faulting in the box. Penalty. Jimmy tau, Zane moosa, phumulani Mkhize agree it was penalty. That's 2 out. Sundowns penalties. A handball in the box is a penalty. "Spot on" and "professor" all said Sundowns penalties were correct calls. Albeit, your claim is that this TV channel are scared to make unpopular decisions. Ridiculous really. And no its not 4 penalties in 4 games. There was no penalty in the Sundowns league match. 4 penalties must be looked into on their merits.

    Common Meals. Objectivity.

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    1. Stop lying, only one penalty was valid on spot on reviews....

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    2. I accept dodgy penalties happen. But too often of late, Chiefs are the recipients of refereeing "good fortune" and I'm not alone in noticing. Just the only one who comes out and says it

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    3. Clearly we see things differently, Parker tripped himself on Nthethe when both players ran for a ball, second one Yeye misqueued short hitting a sliding player who was clearly going for the ball with his legs

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  3. You make me laugh, the truth need to be told why must a big team always win with penalties and some dubious judgement in the match by Ref? All the Ref decision are very questionable and the football loving nation is wondering when will this stop.......fact remain Ref are always on Chiefs side.......Some people like Neal Col don't celebrate mediocrity.....what's happening currently is what makes fans not to attend games cos the Refs favor big teams...

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  4. Thank you Neal for being brave and speak truth this can only improve our soccer which is crumbling down. PSL should review all these penalties given to Chiefs every game and those nor given againstthem. These referees are acting on behalf of someone. why their mistakes if these are mistakes always in Chiefs favour, something is not right here

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    1. That's the point of all this. People are talking. Only a short step to a FIFA match fixing investigation if somebody reviews videos of recent games. Has to be discussed, referees have to be named, then we can get debate going.

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  5. It is always Chips who gets favours from the local refs and I think we need a commission about the poor standard of officiating which always favours one team. All the kaizer chiefs pricks can whine and whinge to death! Mark is sport on!!!

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  6. Jali was once a leading goalscorer at Pirates scoring from penalties and it was fine but because now is Chiefs there are questions that needs answers

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  7. Jali was once a leading goalscorer at Pirates scoring from penalties and it was fine but because now is Chiefs there are questions that needs answers

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  8. Thanks Neal for being objective, it makes me think of Pakistan cricket captain's comment regarding DRS. The standard of refereeing in SA PSL is going down the drain. If the ref was brave enough to award Chiefs a penalty, why did he not give Celtic theirs because clearly from the replay, the player was fouled. He was tripped. Lets, however, give the ref the benefit of the doubt that it was a spontaneous decision. Fair enough, go back to the Sundowns cup game, two dubious penalties were awarded, and again the replays show it. What do we call that?? Questions have to be asked in order to bring order and fair play to the beautiful game of football. If big teams continue to be helped to keep their place in the keague , then we might as well let the bottom two relegated without kicking a balk in the league, just because they are underdogs. What happened to Fifa Fair Play??

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  9. Thanks for comments above, all read, some replied to, some speak for themselves. Keep it coming...

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