Staff Reporter.
Swallows FC coach Ernst Middendorp say referee Cedric Muvhali swore at him after Sunday’s DStv Premiership loss at Cape Town City as the veteran German coach enquired about two late sendings off in the match.
Middendorp insisted he did so politely but was met with a barrage of insults from the referee, who dismissed City captain Thamsanqa Mkhize and Swallows substitute Bongani Sam in the dying minutes of the 2-0 home win at the Cape Town Stadium.
“I asked the referee in the tunnel politely, I asked ‘what happened on the other side with the red card for Bongani’. He stated shouting at me straight away,” Middendorp said at the post-match news conference.
“It is obviously not allowed anymore to communicate with the officials,” he added sarcastically. In his post-match television interview on SuperSport, Middendorp said the referee had sworn at him.
Opposing coach Eric Tinkler said he had spoken to the referee after the game about the sendings off and been told they were for vulgar language.
Mkhize had stood on Sam’s ankle in a tackle and although there was no physical altercation between the players, they traded insults and were sent off in a rare case of the referee stamping down on the use of foul language.
Swallows ended down to nine men after Keegan Allan was sent off for a challenge on Khanyisa Mayo that the referee deemed had denied the City striker a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Bu Middendorp disagreed: “I don’t think you can give a red for that tackle, it was one-against-one. Mayo was professional in going down and trying to get as much as he could out of it and the defender looks a little bit naïve. But to give a red card for this sort of thing, I think it’s totally irritating,” he added.