Barker Opens Can Of Worms With Chiefs/Refereeing Fury
It would seem that a number of clubs in the DStv Premiership are of the opinion that Kaizer Chiefs is the luckiest team in the league with regards to benefitting from refereeing decisions after Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker was visibly upset following their match last weekend.
At FNB Stadium on Saturday, Amakhosi were awarded a penalty and a numerical advantage after Stellenbosch goalkeeper Sage Stephens was sent off for a handball outside of his box.
After the match, Barker was visibly angry as he claimed that match officials make decisions in favour of the Soweto giants.
Stellies lost 2-1 after their former player Ashley Du Preez converted from the spot and with Keagan Dolly adding another one for Arthur Zwane's side, while Ibraheem Jabaar netted for the Western Cape outfit.
"I think Kaizer Chiefs… they must have practice sessions they get 10 players more than any other club because that seems like that's all they play against - 10 men at training and penalties, that's all. So, for me, it was one of the worst refereeing I've ever witnessed. So many free kicks and tackles against but we never got one," said Barker in his post-match television interview, in part.
On Sunday, after his team's 2-1 loss against Maritzburg United, TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic sarcastically weighed in on Chiefs and the refereeing debate.
He said, "I would like to be a big team that maybe gets nine, 10 penalties every season."
Chiefs' legend Lucky Stylianou has lambasted Steve Barker for his refereeing comments.
The Good
"From watching the games, I think all the penalties have been legitimate and the referees have been honest. What some people do not understand is that the referee's decision is final. If you are a sportsman and you walk onto that pitch, you must know that you don't contest the referee decision. In all my years at Kaizer Chiefs, not one referee has ever changed his mind. The referee's decision is absolutely the law that has to be accepted. If you split it out over the season for the referee's decisions in your favour and against you, I think it balances out," said Stylianou.
The Bad
"To sit and cry, and coming from a former player like Mr. Barker, I'm actually quite shocked or surprised that he made such a comment. My question is, aren't they looking after their jobs when they complain about the referees' decisions and not worrying about the performance on the field. They should rather concentrate on the field. Did they deserve to win? The answer is no and then they should accept the decision," he added.
The Ugly
"I'm yet to see a referee giving a bad decision that results in a team winning 1-0. I once hosted a sports dinner and the guest speaker after me was the World Cup rugby referee who had done a rugby final in one of the World Cups. He stated quite clearly that the best referees in the world make five to eight wrongful decisions throughout the match and they are the best referees. The rugby referees' association accepts that number. The mistakes are not intentional but a matter of not being in the right place and at the right time because the ball moves so fast. So, it's usually basically not picking up one or two infringements or something like that. I think it's basically people starting to look over the shoulder that Chiefs are starting to improve and that Chiefs may no longer be a walkover. We're not playing the best at the moment but there's definitely been drastic improvement. For a senior coach to make statement like that, whether it's him (Barker) or another coach, basically as a player he didn't accept the rules that the referees' decision is final," he further stated.
On Chiefs' Chances To Qualify For The CAF Champions League
"Well, I think all three teams have got a chance. You can't say Chiefs are definitely going to finish second just because I'm a former Chiefs player. You can't say that Pirates or SuperSport are going to do it because they all got a chance. They must go and do their homework on how to win games. Plan a game at a time," concluded Stylianou.
Is the standard of refereeing deteriorating in the PSL?
