Abdul Ebrahim, who serves as Head of Refereeing at SAFA, has responded to the Kaizer Chiefs technical team regarding their criticism of match official Olani Kwinda's officiating.
Head coach Nasreddine Nabi expressed his dissatisfaction with Kwinda's officiating following his side's 1-0 loss to Golden Arrows at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.
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He received a red card after the match for confronting the referee, particularly because he felt the game ended prematurely with only three minutes of stoppage time added instead of the expected five, following time-wasting tactics from Arrows.
Ebrahim has emphasized that, according to the Laws of the Game, only the referee has the authority to keep time during a match.
"Added time belongs to the referee, not the coaches," Ebrahim stated in an interview with KickOff.com.
"The referee determines how much additional time is played. This is referred to as the 'referee's optional time'.
"Coaches and teams are always going to speculate and seek to protect themselves, but ultimately, the referee makes the final decision - whether it's one minute, five minutes, or ten minutes. That decision solely rests with the referee," he continued.
Nabi is expected to be suspended for at least two matches due to his red card.
However, Ebrahim noted that the decision regarding the suspension lies with the PSL, not SAFA.
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"That decision falls to the League. If a player misbehaves and receives a red card, that's one matter. What happens afterward is entirely up to the League," he explained.
"The League will assess the severity of the misconduct that led to the red card and make a decision based on their competition rules. It could result in a one-match or two-match suspension, or it could be more, depending on the circumstances.
"Referees act on the field according to what they observe."
The Tunisian-Belgian is expected to miss Amakhosi's match against Sekhukhune United on Sunday, as well as the Nedbank Cup Last 32 fixture against Free Agents FC expected to take place on the weekend of January 24-26.