Former PSL referee Victor Hlungwani has dismissed, through law, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena's suggestion that Divine Lunga did not deserve to get the first yellow card against Stellenbosch FC, before he saved him from being sent off.
Lunga was on a yellow card before committing another offence that deserved a second yellow card and a sending-off.
However, with assistant referee Zakhele Siwela injured, the visitors quickly substituted the Zimbabwean defender soon after he brought down Iqraam Rayners.
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In his post-match press conference, Mokwena suggested that the former Golden Arrows man's first yellow card was "soft" and he should not have been on a yellow card before his second challenge.
According to Hlungwani, though, the first yellow card received by Lunga was a correct decision as he stopped a promising attack, termed SPA as per the rule book.
"Divine Lunga, he got a yellow card on the seventh minute for SPA - stopping a promising attack - rightfully yellow, because there was space and the player was gone," Hlungwani said on Metro FM Sports.
Although there was no denying that Lunga should have received a second yellow card and therefore sent off after he brought down Rayners, Hlungwane=i argued that Mokwena was "smart" for quickly substituting the player after the injury to Siwela.
"On the 25th minute, he committed the same offence, SPA again, where a player took him from the corner there, moves towards the penalty area. There was space, so when there is space, you're stopping a promising attack, a yellow card must come out," Hlungwane went on.
"On the same situation, the assistant referee pulled his muscle, I think the referee (Jelly Chavani) focused more on his assistant (Siwela), he was worried more on his assistant getting an injury and while focusing on the assistant's injury, they quickly substituted the player.
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"The referee could have (stopped the substitution), but I think losing one of your soldiers in the match, he was distracted. Rulani was so smart to say, looking at this distraction, I can capitalize and take him off. So, Rulani's tactics were superior to the referee's (Chavani) tactics."
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