PLENTY OF PRESENTS: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Kaizer Chiefs.

PENALTY KING: Willard Katsande

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Steve Komphela at Kaizer Chiefs. Santa, with a shrill whistle, has been rushing up and down the chimney at Naturena with plenty of unexpected gifts.

Don’t take my word for it, ask Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt. Though understandably biased against the AmaKhosi, they do have the right to an opinion.

For me, the greatest gifts of all came from referee Khulisani Qongqo on Reconciliation Day at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Mamelodi Sundowns were running away with the Telkom KO final, leading 2-0 when two unwelcome surprises were thrown at Masandawana in the space of 13 minutes.

First Thabo Nthethe was blown for a foul on Camaldine Abraw, who fell as he cut across the Mamelodi Sundowns captain, still elated after scoring the second goal. PENALTY, said Santa Qongqo.

In the 73rd minute, the unfortunate Nthethe was left stunned again, this time when the ball hit him under the arm while he was sliding in on Reneilwe Letsholonyane. Another PENALTY, said Santa Qongqo. Ho ho ho!

Of course, history records than Ugandan goalkeeper Dennis Onyango saved both spot kicks, from Siphiwe Tshabalala and Abraw. He went on to win Man of the Match award and Sundowns eventually triumphed 3-1. Justice was done. I’ve seen on soft penalty given, but rarely have I seen TWO in 13 minutes.

Very little was said after this blatant attempt to turn the match around from a referee I hope we never see in charge of a major PSL match again.

On Saturday in Cape Town, with coach Steve Komphela under increasing pressure - he’s actually lost more cup finals than league games this season - Chiefs found themselves up against leaders Wits University, who had also lost just once this term.

CHRISTMAS GIFT! Kaizer Chiefs winner is clearly off-side
Picture: @cklatey on Twitter

Daniel Bennett was in charge, another official known for his cunning ability to survive in the high-pressure world of South African officiating. We were all waiting, and it came. But I have to say, I thought it WAS a penalty when Onismor Bhasera brought down Abraw.

Bad tackle, clear foul. Bennett hesitated but gave it. Willard Katsande, my favourite midfielder, stuck it away, showing Shabba and Abraw how to score from 12 yards.

Wits equalised through Daine Klate, now the PSL’s top scorer with 7, but Lorenzo Gordinho scrambled home a 73rd minute winner. Amid the melee, it looked off-side, only one defender in play... but a difficult one to give for Bennett amid the scrum of players on the goal-line.

Gavin Hunt, the Clever Boys coach who rarely enjoys defeat, had no doubt: “I told the lads, Kaizer Chiefs will be given a start. And I was right. A penalty. But that’s what you expect. We are not a fashionable side. We’ve had 6 penalties against us this season, but not one our way.

“Their second goal? It was off-side wasn’t it? But this is what you get. All the big decisions went against us.

"There was only one side here today, we completely out-played Chiefs.”

After the attempted hi-jack of the Telkom Cup, Pitso was far more circumspect and less inflammatory. He could afford to be. Despite two far worse decisions, he said: “I will not criticise the referee. Everyone could see it.”

Still, we all know the AmaKhosi - previously known as the AmaDrawsi with 6 ties in their first 11 league games - are good for South African football with their 15million fans and huge turnover. So we shouldn’t be too surprised when things go their way.

As a nation this year, we've had a former SAFA member banned by FIFA for six years for match-fixing during Bafana Bafana friendlies before the 2010 World Cup. The South African "co-conspirators" in the FIFA scandal remain anonymous. We refuse to divulge attendance figures and there are any number of weird and wonderful explanations for the strange happenings in South Africa football.

It worries me the football media refuse to even raise the topic of bias, replays don't appear, officials maintain a stony silence... and fans react with abuse to honest questions. But it HAS to be discussed.

Personally, I think Bennett did a good job in Cape Town. Chiefs, though not the better side, won fair and square. And injustice was avoided in Durban on Wednesday. 

Let’s just leave it at that. Happy Christmas!

WAS THE AFCON 2015 DRAW FIXED? Hosts Equatorial Guinea couldn't be any luckier. South Africa get the Group of Death. STATISTICALLY IMPROBABLE!

SUPER EAGLES: Nigeria after 2013 triumph in SA
Please press red button above to VOTE!

I SPENT yesterday going through the AFCON 2015 draw, held amid much hoopla in Malaba on December 3. Going on statistics alone, looking at how the balls came out of the pots, I can only conclude the whole thing was FIXED.

Look, I know Equatorial Guinea came to the rescue when Morocco insisted they could not host the tournament due to the Ebola outbreak – though the Moroccans did successfully hold the World Club Cup this month.

So the emergency hosts deserve some credit, despite being suspended for fielding ineligible players during qualifying. Thing is, we all know Equatorial Guinea is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, with a huge oil-driven economy which utterly fails to look after the ordinary folk.

Some statistical back up: Equatorial Guinea is the richest nation per capita in Africa since oil was “discovered” in 1995, but less than half of the population has access to clean drinking water and 20% of their children die before reaching five.

That’s why this tiny nation was able to step in and host the event at such short notice. If Africa's longest-serving leader President Theodoro Obiang, who has ruled for 35 years (that’s longer than Robert Mugabe), wants something, he gets it. Whether his people are concerned about contagious diseases or not.

When he took power in 1979 he had Macias Nguema, the previous president, executed. And with a personal fortune of $600m thanks to contributions from the likes of petro-giant Exxon, it was hardly surprising CAF decided to lift the nation’s suspension and move AFCON to his fiefdom, where Obiang has survived 12 coup attempts.

But the nation capable of fielding a team of players ALL born in foreign nations surely have enough advantages at AFCON when it kicks off on January 15. They should have been ready to hold a fair draw, having not had to play qualifiers due to suspension.

Even the most cursory analysis of how the cookie crumbled suggests collusion. And when you factor in the current FIFA rankings and add them up, the inequality of the “random” draw is staggering. STATISTICALLY IMPROBABLE is the best word I can think of.

My interest here is this: while Equatorial Guinea were enjoying all the luck of the draw, South Africa – after topping Group A in qualifying and putting out the reigning champions Nigeria – were handed all the BAD LUCK in the world, having refused to risk hosting the tournament themselves.

Now that can’t be just luck. The Francophile nations and CAF president Issa Hayatou resent us enough already but look at those pots: in every instance, Equatorial Guinea got the weakest team, South Africa the toughest.

Sure, our hosts occupy a nation two thousand square kilometres smaller than Lesotho, but they don’t deserve a crooked helping hand from Hayatou and his cohorts, so firmly entrenched at CAF. Despite his nation being suspended and in footballing chaos at times, the 68-year-old Cameroonian has been in charge of African football since 1988, before Nelson Mandela was released. 26 years is a helluva long time in football, just ask Sepp Blatter.

Now look at those seeding “pots”. As hosts, Equatorial Guinea were put in Pot 1 for the top-seeded teams. But that’s misleading. Algeria (or Little France as they are now known, with most stars born and coached in France) are the top side in Africa right now, but found themselves in Pot 2. Ghana were the ones to avoid in Pot 1.

And yes, South Africa got Ghana, rather than the less intimidating 2012 champions Zambia or Burkina Faso. For some inexplicable reason, Burkina Faso found themselves in the same group as the hosts, despite being in the same pot.

In Pot 2, South Africa’s Group C were lumbered with the team everyone was hoping to avoid, Algeria while Group A got NONE of those dangerous nations like Ivory Coast, Mali or Tunisia.

Instead, Equatorial Guinea got Gabon from South Africa’s Pot 3 while unbeaten Bafana Bafana were landed with the most dangerous nation in Pot 4, Senegal.

Confused? We all were. Suffice to say Equatorial Guinea’s STRONGEST opponents are Congo, ranked 62 in the world by FIFA right now. South Africa’s WEAKEST opponents are Senegal, ranked 41 in the world and responsible for the qualifying failure of seven-time winners Egypt in qualifying.

Statistically improbable. That’s the phrase we’ll have to use. It would have been IMPOSSIBLE for Equatorial Guinea to have had an easier group. South Africa’s GROUP OF DEATH could not have been any harder.

Now I remember during the World Cup in 2010 when Argentina’s legendary Diego Maradona alleged that “warmed balls” were used in some draws to ensure the big bosses got the groups and fixtures they wanted. I always wondered if it was possible to conjure up a fixed draw in the glare of the television cameras. I can think of no other explanation for the utter improbability of this particular set of groupings.

I warned before the draw that Bafana Bafana, disliked both on and off the field in the north of the continent, would get the thin end of the wedge. Below you can see just how thin that wedge is.

By adding the four FIFA rankings of each of the nations in each group, it’s possible to see just how strong they are. The higher the score, the easier the group. The totals are self-evident.  

Equatorial Guinea’s Group A totals 325. That’s TWICE as much as the Group of Death. And way more than Group B or Group D. See for yourself:

GROUP A
Equatorial Guinea 125
Burkina Faso 71
Gabon 67
Congo 62

TOTAL: 325

GROUP B
Zambia 78
Tunisia 31
Cape Verde 33
DR Congo 60

TOTAL: 202

GROUP C
Ghana 35
Algeria 15
South Africa 57
Senegal 41

TOTAL: 148

GROUP D
Ivory Coast 25
Mali 58
Cameroon 40
Guinea 55

TOTAL: 178

I’ve seen many draws in my life-time. And not just in football. Often the home team or the favoured association find themselves in a good position. But this draw is a step too far for me. Clearly, something is amiss.

Still, having been quoted R145,000 to join Bafana for all their games in Equatorial Guinea in January, it’s unlikely I’ll be remonstrating personally with Presidents Obiang or Hayatou. Just as well I guess.

Good luck Shakes Mashaba. As I said in my last entry, you may need it.

http://peruserpaid.com/?ref=131468