Verbal and even physical attacks on soccer referees have become increasingly common, especially in the local ABC Motsepe League. Since the beginning of March, Limpopo Mirror has reported on three matches that were abandoned after violence broke out, with fans threatening referees following controversial decisions.
Over the past weekend, another ABC Motsepe League match was abandoned, but this time the three referees who officiated were summarily suspended. This has shifted the focus to what many fans and even soccer administrators regard as a possible root cause of the violence: growing frustration with refereeing standards and suspicions that bribes are being paid to influence match outcomes.
Last Friday’s match between Musina United and Lebash Academy at Musina Rugby Stadium was abandoned with only 15 minutes remaining. The fracas followed a controversial decision by the referee to award a penalty against Lebash Academy.
From what could be established, the assistant referee initially signalled for a penalty against Academy, but the referee waved play on. He later reversed the decision and pointed to the penalty spot. Players and officials from Lebash Academy refused to allow the penalty to be taken, leading to the abandonment of the match.
The match officials were subsequently suspended by SAFA Limpopo pending an investigation into the circumstances that led to the change in decision. The suspended officials are referee Kundani Netshandama and assistant referees Nthambeleni Murangi Nthambeleni and Thivhadini Khorommbi.
Local soccer supporters who regularly attend matches say incidents such as match stoppages or assaults on referees should not automatically be blamed on unruly crowd behaviour. They allege that referees are targeted due to suspicions that match officials have accepted bribes to influence results.
A former referee, who requested anonymity, alleged that bribery is a widespread problem in the ABC Motsepe League across all nine provinces. He blamed the situation partly on the financial challenges faced by referees. He said that in the past, when the league was still sponsored by Vodacom, referees were better compensated. At the time, referees received travelling fees from teams and could earn more than R8,000 per season for the two rounds of the league.
Now, they receive far less. He said travel allowances, which are now lower, are sometimes shared among match officials, including assistant referees and the match commissioner, leaving each individual with a small amount that may not cover travel expenses per match. He alleged that this financial pressure can create an environment where some referees may be tempted to accept bribes.
A former team owner, who previously competed in the ABC Motsepe League before selling his club’s status, told Limpopo Mirror that referees would frequently contact him requesting bribes. He claimed that officials sometimes approached both competing teams. He attributed this to inadequate compensation and financial strain on match officials, adding that running a football club is already costly due to expenses such as player payments, accommodation, food and travel.
SAFA Limpopo administrator Ms Refilwe Khosa confirmed a growing number of cases in which referees and assistant referees have been assaulted. She said the association would investigate the causes of these incidents and take appropriate action.
She added that the referees who officiated the match between Musina United and Lebash Academy remain suspended while SAFA awaits official reports from the referees, teams and the match commissioner.