The South African Football Association has made a statement on the controversial Kaizer Chiefs goal from Samir Nurkovic in their win over Mamelodi Sundowns.
Pitso Mosimane was adamant after the 2-0 defeat at Loftus Versfeld Stadium that the Glamour Boys had benefitted from an incorrect refereeing decision regarding Nurkovic's opener, insisting that he was offside.
Mosimane said in his post-match interview he attacked his counterpart, Ernst Middendorp, saying, "He's one of the luckiest coaches, the goal that they scored is offside!"
The Premier Soccer League since revealed that they have contacted the Sundowns coach regarding his post-match comments about match officials, and it appears that SAFA also disagree with the former Bafana Bafana coach after the SAFA Referees Review Committee weighed in on the matter.
A statement from the Review Committee said, "During the match, when Kaizer Chiefs' Reeve Frosler played the ball into the opponents' penalty area, both Chiefs' Leonardo Castro and Samir Nurkovic were not in an offside position. Sundowns' Musa Lebusa and Chiefs' Castro jumped to head the ball but both missed it.
"Castro neither played nor touched the ball from his teammate, Frosler and this is evidenced by the fact that the ball never changed direction nor the trajectory," added the Committee.
"Nurkovic who was not in an offside position when the ball was initially played by his teammate Frosler and that Castro did not make contact with the ball, the Assistant Referee was correct in not flagging for offside, based on fact connected with Law 11 (Offside).
"It then stand to reason that Nurkovic scored a legitimate goal. It would have been a different decision had his teammate Castro played or touched the ball, then the goal would have been disallowed in that instance."
The PSL has given Mosimane 'five days to respond to the letters sent to him to either deny or admit the comments attributed to him in the media'.
