Times Of Swaziland: RC MUST PUNISH REFS  – MINISTER ‘CRUISER’

RC MUST PUNISH REFS  – MINISTER ‘CRUISER’
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 28/11/2017 04:40:00


MBABANE – History would be rewritten if elite referees in the country’s
football were suddenly punished as it happens with their colleagues beyond our
borders.
Like every local soccer fan and clubs, Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth
Affairs David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala would like to see the Referees
Committee step up its game and start hauling the match officials over the coals
if caught under-performing or on a sheer dereliction of duty.
Ngcamphalala was responding to a question about the standard of refereeing
witnessed this past Sunday at Somhlolo National Stadium whereby agitated Mbabane
Highlanders fans lost their cool and threw missiles onto the pitch in their
match against Manzini Wanderers.
“I can’t get into the deep details of refereeing but it’s important that
these complaints about them are vigilantly scrutinised, assessed and if they are
found to have faltered, be duly punished by the Referees Committee or
association. When teams complain, then there must be a serious post-mortem of
the officials’ work as well as punishment,” he said.
He encouraged the Referees Committee to stand up and be counted by investigating
the complaints raised by teams and then deal with them appropriately.
“Fans must also hold their tempers. I was there and saw chairs flying, which
wasn’t good at all. The fans must also learn to accept results and decisions
especially because according to me, our football is already professional and
this cannot be how things happen,” he said.
He gave deserved accolades to Highlanders’ marshals who were quick to
intervene and did all they could to calm the situation and ensured it did not
disrupt the game, even going to guard the second assistant referee minutes
before full-time.