A refereeing expert has responded to AmaZulu FC head coach Pablo Franco Martin's vehement claims that they were denied a clear penalty for a handball in the box against Kaizer Chiefs.
Usuthu came from behind, through an equaliser by Victor Letsoalo late in the first stanza, to salvage a 1-1 draw in the DStv Premiership clash on Sunday after Ashley Du Preez had given Chiefs the lead inside the first two minutes.
READ: EPL boss issues high praise for Foster
In the dying minutes, Martin was seen remonstrating vehemently on the touchlines, claiming that his side were denied a penalty for a handball inside the opposition box.
The Spanish tactician approached referee Olani Kwinda after the game to get an explanation of why he did not award that penalty, before revealing in his post-match interview that he argued with Kwinda that the defender's (Njabulo Ngcobo) arm was unnaturally bigger when the ball struck his arm in the box.
Former PSL referee Ace Ncobo has clarified the incident and gave his expert verdict that it was not a penalty on the basis that the ball hit the defender on his stomach first before striking the arm.
"What he (Martin) saw was an outstretched arm that was indeed struck by the ball, but what he did not see was the fact that the ball first struck the body of the defender before it hit that arm," Ncobo said on SuperSport's Extra-Time.
"And we've always been at pains to say if it comes off a limb of the same player before it strikes the arm, then we don't even look at whether that arm is making the body unnecessarily bigger, it nullifies everything.
"It hit the defender first on the stomach and the ball slides to the left and strikes the arm. So, we don't even look at where the arm is positioned. I would have expected the penalty to be given (if the ball hit the arm directly), because the arm is inside the penalty area.
READ: Daniels on who should be blamed for Spurs relegation
"The only thing that nullified it is that the ball struck his body first before making contact with the arm," he added.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!