There was widespread outrage following Bafana Bafana’s CAF group-stage defeat to Egypt in Morocco, with much of the anger directed at Burundian referee Pacific Ndabihawenimana after several controversial decisions. The referee awarded Egypt a soft penalty in the first half, while denying South Africa what appeared to be a clear penalty in the final minutes.
Head coach Hugo Broos did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating.
“Take the first penalty — even Mo Salah said to me after the game he was surprised it was given. It was ridiculous, really ridiculous,” Broos said.
“Then look at our penalty: the rule states that if the arm is extended and the ball hits it, it’s a penalty. The defender’s arm was out, the ball struck it, yet we were told it was a ‘natural position’. Who invented that?”
Broos did, however, concede that Bafana Bafana also had themselves to blame for not converting their chances.
“Egypt were the better team in the first half; they had good possession and created chances. But in the second half we dominated completely. Sometimes you need a bit of luck — the right bounce or a cleaner finish — and we just didn’t have that tonight.”
The defeat leaves South Africa needing a win or draw against Zimbabwe in their final group match, while also hoping Angola do not record a convincing victory over Egypt.
Broos remains optimistic that his side can still advance.
“We lost today, but there is still another match. What happened out there motivates us to give 200 percent and make sure we beat Zimbabwe,” he said.
Observers also criticised what they viewed as selective use of VAR, claiming the referee was only shown limited angles of the handball incident that denied South Africa a potentially decisive penalty, despite it appearing to block a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Former Bafana Bafana star Steven Pienaar voiced his frustration, saying:
“Well done Bafana Bafana. We can’t play against the referee and Egypt.”
Former PSL coach and current player agent Mike Makaab also argued the referee’s decision was incorrect. He explained that while laws allow leeway when a player uses an arm to break a fall, in this case the defender’s arm was deliberately extended, making his body unnaturally bigger — typically a clear handball offence in the penalty area.
With emotions high but hope still alive, Bafana Bafana now turn their focus to Zimbabwe in what could be a decisive encounter.