Following confusion over Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango's red-card in the MTN8, the Laws of the Game have been consulted to ascertain whether it was the right call by referee Eugene Mdluli.
Onyango was red-carded with seven minutes left of regulation time in The Brazilians' quarter-final encounter against Polokwane City, with the game still deadlocked, after he handled the ball outside of the 18-yard area.
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Under normal circumstances, the Ugandan would have received only a yellow card with a direct free-kick awarded if he stopped a promising attack, according to IFAB's rules on goalkeepers.
However, the colour of the card upgrades to red if the handball by the shot-stopper denies the opposition a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO).
Former referee Victor Hlungwani clarified as much, after he confirmed that the referee got the call spot on.
"This is DOGSO, all the elements of DOGSO are completed. The player had control of the ball, distance to goal, direction of play, number of defenders, they are all behind," Hlungwani said on SABC's SoccerZone.
"We can see Onyango's glove is outside the line, so therefore he handles the ball outside the penalty area. Correct decision by the ref to give a red card to Onyango for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity," Hlungwani added.
According to the rules of the game, "Where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by committing a deliberate handball offence, the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area)".
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For an offence to be defined as DOGSO, the following must be considered, as per IFAB:
• Distance between the offence and the goal
• General direction of the play
• Likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball
• Location and number of defenders