Hanging Judge: Toothless disciplinary action sends out wrong message

At the outset, let me state quite unambiguously that I have no axe to grind with anyone, but the PSL disciplinary committee’s recent decision sends out the message to players and clubs that referees can be verbally abused and physically assaulted, and the perpetrators will get away with it.

The case I’m referring to is the behaviour of two Bidvest Wits players, Ricardo Goss and Sameehg Doutie, who were charged with assaulting referee Masixole Bambiso in a heated Absa Premiership game against Cape Town City.

The two, with some of their colleagues – who also didn’t cover themselves in glory – were clearly seen verbally abusing and physically pushing the referee because they disputed a decision that he had made against their team.

In fact, the footage shows one player aiming a slap at the back of the referee’s head.

In the laws of the game, law 12, related to fouls and misconduct, and says striking or attempting to strike a referee is a red card.

Unfortunately, the referee did not issue a red card in this instance, and that’s something that needs to be investigated by the refereeing authorities.

The pair were banned for eight games, but the bans for four of those games were suspended. This is just a slap on the wrist for their thuggish behaviour.

It’s not the first time that disciplinary committees in South African football have been found wanting.

In November, Cape Town City midfielder Mpho Makola was suspended by the league’s disciplinary committee after he was found guilty of manhandling referee Abongile Tom in a Telkom Knockout clash with Kaizer Chiefs.

The ban was later overturned by the Safa appeals board, which reduced the sentence to four matches. The board argued that “Makola was guilty of a lesser charge of unsportsmanlike conduct”.

Really? How did you arrive at that conclusion?

It’s a well-known fact, and many have written about it, that there are ever fewer people wanting to take up the whistle.

Week in and week out, games are not being played because no one wants to become involved in refereeing, and it is no wonder they don’t.

Recently, I saw video footage of an individual driving his 4x4 on to a pitch and trying to run over the referee because he didn’t agree with some decisions.

There are many such incidents, especially of referees being chased and assaulted. There have even been cases when referees have been killed because one team or the other didn’t agree with the decisions they made.

Referees are arbitrators trying to adjudicate between two competing teams of 11 players. Not everyone is going to agree with all decisions made.

That’s why every game needs a referee.

Some games are fortunate to have two assistants, but that usually occurs only in higher-level games.

I am not saying that some games are more important than others – they’re not. The fact is that there are not enough referees to go around and some teams have to settle for only one referee.

If we continue to witness the kind of scenes that have appeared on social media and television recently (and if the punishment handed out to players who should be banned for lengthy spells continues to be so light), the recruitment of new match officials will fall and the guys who are out there – earning little or no reward – will also hang up their whistles. The powers that be, and you know who I mean, are going to have to send out a clear message that such attacks on match officials, whether verbal or physical, must stop now.

The way to do that is to hand down stiff punishment against the perpetrators, including fines, making it clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

Another idea is to include a former senior referee on the disciplinary committees. But I won’t hold my breath on that one.

Please feel free to make comments or ask questions.

Happy whistling!

• sports@citypress.co.za
• thehangingjudge88@gmail.com
• Follow me on Twitter @dr_errol

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