Zimpapers Logo

Joshua Bondo

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
THEIR cocktail of monumental blunders came in high-stakes FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the weekend, but for all the uproar their shortcomings provoked around the globe amid a trail of shattered dreams, none of them were subjected to physical attacks. Iranian referee Alireza Faghani, South African referee Daniel Bennett and controversial Botswana referee Joshua Bondo were caught up in offside positions in big World Cup qualifiers they had been tasked with handling at the weekend across the globe.

Faghani sparked controversy when he awarded Syria a dubious penalty in their Asian World Cup play-off qualifier against Australia on the neutral fields of Malacca in Malaysia where the Syrians were forced to host matches because of conflict in their country. The Australians were leading 1-0 in the first leg of that tie, with five minutes left in the game, when Faghani deemed that Syria’s Omar al-Soma had been fouled, when television replays showed minimum contact, and pointed to the spot.

Al-Soma dusted himself and converted the penalty to tie the game 1-1 and, in the return leg in Sydney yesterday, the two teams could not be separated after 90 minutes, with the score being 1-1, before the Aussies scored in extra-time for victory. Two-time South African Referee of the Season Bennett, who was born in England but has been working in Johannesburg as a school teacher for years, caused a storm in Kampala through some dubious calls which ended Ghana’s hopes for a fourth successive World Cup appearance.

Bennett turned down a very good claim for a Ghanaian penalty in their match against Uganda which the Black Stars needed to win to stay alive, before somehow ruling that a very late goal scored by the West Africans should not stand even when television replays showed there was no offside offence. Botswana referee Bondo, who was expelled from the COSAFA Castle Cup after turning down two very good appeals by Zimbabwe in their match against Madagascar, also failed in his first big international match after his humiliation in South Africa.

Daniel Bennett

He ruled out what appeared a genuine goal by Zambia’s Augustine Mulenga in the first half of their World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in Uyo which Chipolopolo needed to win to take control of their campaign for a maiden appearance at the global football festival. The Super Eagles won that match 1-0 and with it a ticket to Russia, but a lot of focus has turned on Bondo’s decision against the Zambians at a crucial stage of the contest.

Instead, this is how the aggrieved parties reacted:

THE REACTIONS FROM THE AGGRIEVED PARTIES 

THE ZAMBIANS

“According to article 15 of the FIFA regulation, which clearly states 15 (6) that the referees decision is final, that is where football comes from,’’ FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said in an address to journalists after arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka. Where there is reason to believe that the referee has probably made a mistake, I think there are enough safeguards within the system that address those kinds of concerns. So that is where we are starting from.

“I think all games have got referee assessors, I think they will equally file in their reports, the match commissioner will file in the report. But the rules are very clear, you cannot overturn a referee’s decision, the only decision that is overturned and I think this should be very clear and this is the basis on which we find ourselves constrained.

“Those of us who were in the stadium saw it within a split second that it was not an offside but the referee made a decision and like I said the referee’s decision is final. But the only consolation is that FIFA will overturn the result of a game if they have reason to believe that there was external influence. I had the opportunity to consult widely but the conclusion was that we were denied a clear goal. The referee may be carpeted for making a wrong decision but the decision still stands, unfortunately that is the way football is and that is where we find ourselves.”

Alireza Faghani

THE GHANAIANS

‘’The Ghana Football Association has lodged a protest with FIFA over the performance of referee Daniel Bennett and his assistants Eldrick Adelaide and Steve Marie during the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Uganda on Saturday,’’ the GFA said in a statement. The GFA filed the protest to football’s world governing body, FIFA, immediately after the match at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala.

‘’Mr Bennett and assistants denied Ghana a perfect goal in the 93rd minute with television replays showing that it was a perfect goal. The referee also denied Ghana a penalty earlier in the second-half when Ghana midfielder Frank Acheampong was brought down in the box. These and several other decisions by the match officials have left the GFA with no option than to ask FIFA to examine their performances. The GFA respectfully asked FIFA to consider the possibility of a replay in order to serve the ends of justice without fear or favour.’’

THE AUSTRALIANS

“It’s a bit disappointing to concede a goal the way we did from a decision,” said Australian coach Ange Postecoglou. “When a guy gets up and wins a header I’m a bit bemused, but it is what it is.”

His player, Robbie Kruse was very critical.

‘’It’s never a pen, but you come to expect that in this Confederation,” he told Fox Sports. ‘’It was evident to everyone it wasn’t a penalty. You expect that from this referee, we’ve had him before. I think he wanted to give it as soon as he made contact. It’s disappointing and we didn’t deserve it.”

WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR OUR FOOTBALL?

Even though these were high-stakes matches, with the World Cup dreams of nations at stake, a big contingent of Zambian fans in Uyo didn’t attack Bondo for his controversial call during or after the match.

Neither did they rain any missiles on the pitch in protest. The Ghanaian fans at the Mandela International Stadium in Kampala also did not attack Bennett for his questionable performance in ruling out what was a clear perfect goal for their Black Stars and neither did they pelt the match officials with missiles.

In sharp contrast, here the culture of hooliganism, where some people simply take matters into their hands and try and inflict damage on match officials when they make disputed calls, has become a cancer to the national game. While the world is marching forward, even with all the baggage controversy which we saw from referees last weekend on the big stage of the World Cup, where none of the incidents provoked crowd trouble, we still remain stuck in the past in which we believe missiles and attacks on match officials are the answer.

Thomas Kusosa might have erred, which is yet to be proved anywhere without any video evidence to support that, or might carry a baggage of controversy, but to hit him with a missile — as happened at Mandava on Sunday — is a journey back into the Stone Age. Refreshingly, CAPS United have disowned those who committed this act.