Refereeing lens on how Chiefs star 'survived Loftus'

Renowned former FIFA referee Victor Hlungwani has added his voice on what he believes was 'serious foul play' in the highly tempered match between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Soweto giants played to a 1-1 stalemate against log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in a very physical Betway Premiership battle at Loftus Versfeld last Wednesday.

Flavio Silva and Brayan each scored for their respective side. However, the post-match conversations were dominated by debates over the 'dirty' nature of the game.

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Amakhosi star Siphesihle Ndlovu did not escape his share of the criticism, while Jayden Adams of Sundowns got sent off.

Hlungwani expressed surprise that Ndlovu survived the duration of his shift until he was substituted in the second half, insisting his tackle on Cupido was deserving of a red card.

"In the 14th minute, he did what we call serious foul play. The knee that went to Cupido, it was endangering the safety of an opponent; it went to the rib," said Hlungwani, speaking on Metro FM's Sports Night Amplified.

"Then, when you look at the rib and when you look at the play like that, it's more than a yellow, so if the referee gives a straight card, it's highly supported because that knee had power, it had serious foul play.

The former referee who now shares his wealth of knowledge in broadcast, also highlighted Ndlovu's tackle on Khuliso Mudau in the 37th minute, where he again survived not being booked.

"He comes back again in the 58th minute. He grabs Tashreeq Matthews by the neck. He pulls him. He is strangling him," stressed Hlungwane.

"That could have been another yellow, but he was not sent off until he was substituted.

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"Those incidents could have been yellow cards. The first one was a red. The second one and the third one, and the fourth would have been a yellow card. So, he kept on surviving. He survived Loftus," explained the refereeing expert.

Asked about the performance and playing style of Ndlovu after the Sundowns match, Amakhosi co-head coach responded: "The performance of Ndlovu, we're working on some weak points that we have to correct. But we're happy about his performance.

"It's how he plays. What's the problem with Ndlovu? I don't understand."