‘You were not robbed, Khosi’ – Kaizer Chiefs’ penalty appeals dismissed

Former PSL referee Victor Hlungwani has dismissed claims made by Kaizer Chiefs that they deserved a penalty against Stellenbosch.

Chiefs played out a 1-1 draw with Stellies last Tuesday, when Mduduzi Shabalala equalized 10 minutes after Sinoxolo Kwayiba’s 48^th minute goal, but they left the match feeling like they had been robbed.

This is after the ball struck Stellenbosch midfielder George Matlou’s arm in the dying minutes of the contest at the FNB Stadium.

There was a feeling among Chiefs players and fans that they should have been awarded a penalty but Hlungwani has dismissed those calls.

Were Chiefs robbed against Stellies?

While rereviewing the incident on SABC’s Soccer Zone, the former FIFA referee maintained that Matlou’s arm was in its natural position and penalising him would have been the wrong call.

“Ayikho [it’s not there], you were not robbed, Amakhosi,” said the ex-referee.

“We need Chislett saying ‘penalty, penalty!’ The assistant said penalty and changed it to corner kick. The ref then went to go have a discussion [with the assistant referee].

“Now let’s see if they came out with the correct decision. We see that the hand is in a natural position. Did it hit his hand? The answer is no. So no penalty!”

Under fire Da Cruz faces defining week

The match extended Chiefs’ winless run to three games and any hopes of a respite quickly disappeared when they lost 1-0 away to Zambian outfit Red Arrows in the CAF Confederation Cup last Saturday.

With one win from their last seven matches, coach Fernando da Cruz is under massive pressure ahead of the second leg this weekend.

It is a must-win clash for Chiefs on Friday as anything else will see them suffer an early elimination from the Confederation Cup.