Dr. Errol Sweeney dismisses South African grievances, insisting the
referee was “110 percent correct” in both key incidents during the 1-0 loss
to Egypt.
A former PSL and FIFA referee has delivered a definitive verdict on the two
major talking points from Bafana Bafana’s narrow Africa Cup of Nations
defeat to Egypt, strongly supporting the officiating decisions that left
South African fans aggrieved.
Dr. Errol Sweeney, known as ‘The Hanging Judge’, argued that referee
Pacifique Ndabihawenimana was correct to award Egypt a first-half penalty
for Khuliso Mudau’s contact with Mohamed Salah and right to deny South
Africa a late spot-kick for a potential handball.
On the Salah Penalty:
The decisive moment came when Mudau’s trailing hand made contact with
Salah’s face in the box. Sweeney was unequivocal, stating the decision was
straightforward.
“Absolutely (it’s a penalty). If you did that to a player in the centre of
the field, the referee would give a free-kick. So what’s the difference? The
only difference is that it’s inside the penalty area,” Sweeney explained.
He also dismissed arguments that Salah was unlikely to reach the ball,
calling it irrelevant. “The issue is he got his hand up, caught him in the
eye… It doesn’t matter whether the player could have got to the ball or
not.”
On the Denied Bafana Appeal:
Late in the game, a shot struck the arm of Egypt’s Yasser Ahmed, who was on
the ground. After a VAR review, no penalty was given. Sweeney detailed why
this was the correct call.
“He was supporting his body on the ground, that’s not a handball,” Sweeney
said, clarifying that the “making the body bigger” guideline did not apply
in this context.
He cited the crucial distinction in the law: “The hand or the arm must be
moving towards the ball, not the ball towards the hand. In this instance,
the hand was not moving towards the ball, the ball was moving towards the
hand.”
Sweeney concluded with strong praise for the referee’s overall performance,
dismissing widespread criticism from South African supporters.
“So absolutely no penalty. The referee was 110 percent correct in both
actions… I watched the entire game. The referee had a very good game. I see
a lot of negative comments… absolute nonsense.”
