Following contentions over Moroka Swallows goal scored by Gabadinho Mhango against Mamelodi Sundowns, former PSL and FIFA referee Dr Errol Sweeney took out the rule book and gave his verdict.
Swallows salvaged a point against Sundowns in a 2-2 draw in the DStv Premiership encounter on Monday, but the equaliser by Mhango in the dying minutes has cast a shadow of a doubt over the decision by referee Jelly Chavani, who initially disallowed the goal for offside after the assistant referee raised his flag but later changed the decision and awarded a goal.
This was after he seemingly consulted with a third person using a communication earpiece.
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There is no denying that Mhango was in an offside position when the ball was played over the Sundowns defence, but the biggest contention is whether he should still be deemed offside after the second-last defender, Divine Lunga, headed the ball back into play, which was intercepted by the former Orlando Pirates striker, who scored after going through on goal.
When it comes to FIFA Law 11, there was only one point raised in the goal scored by Mhango in television analysis, that it is not an offense to be in an offside position, as long as the attacking player is not interfering with play.
Sweeney, known as the 'Hanging Judge' during his refereeing days in the PSL, confirmed he saw the Mhango incident and explained three incidents that are required for a player to be deemed offside.
"Law 11 is offside and there are three things the referee has to take into consideration, remembering firstly that being in an offside position is not an offense," Sweeney said on 947's MSW.
"To be offside is not an offense, it's only when, one, you're interfering with play. Two, you're interfering with an opponent. Three, you're seeking to gain an advantage by being in that position. So, all of those three have to come in before a player would be deemed to be offside.
"I watched the incident. As I saw it, the attacker (Mhango) was in an offside position, obviously seeking to gain an advantage when the ball was played and that's the important issue - when the ball was played, he was then offside.
"The defender did not head the ball back, so it cannot be deemed to be the so-called back pass. He made an attempt to play the ball, which went slightly sideways, so the intention was not to pass the ball to his goalkeeper, therefore the attacker, in my opinion, is still offside and, in my opinion, the assistant referee was 100 percent correct in raising his flag for offside," Sweeney added.
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The above discussed incident has raised question marks over the standard of refereeing in the PSL, with Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena lashing out at officials, just two days after AmaZulu FC head coach Pablo Franco Martin also described a penalty awarded against them for Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals as "a shame" for the country and "a scandal".
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