THOHOYANDOU – Black Leopards are still restless about the complaint they had lodged with the league regarding their unfair treatment by a match official in their Castle Premiership League match against Orlando Pirates that was played at the Thohoyandou Stadium early last month. Leopards were beaten 2-3.

Lidoda Duvha lodged a complaint with the league after the match, saying the match official, Mr Brian Sibisi, was against them throughout the game.

In the letter Black Leopards singled out an incident where their left back, David Solopi, was given his marching orders in the 84th minute, as one of the referee’s many ways to ensure that Orlando Pirates beat Leopards. Apart from giving Solopi a red card, Sibisi also awarded a penalty to Pirates, which Gift Leremi converted into a goal.

In the letter, Leopards stated that Solopi did not handle the ball as alleged by the referee. The club also requested the league to treat the matter with the urgency it deserved, by looking at video footage of the match. The match had been broadcast live by SABC Television.

The league referred the matter to the review committee. In response to the complaint, the review committee ruled in favour of Leopards.

“In my opinion, the penalty awarded for a handball by David Solopi of Black Leopards was harsh, as the ball appeared to strike the said player high up on the chest at the time of contact with the ball, while the said player’s left arm was in a backward motion. Taking the above into account, it is the recommendation of the review committee that the referee should not have cautioned Mr David Solopi in the 84th minute and that the red card shown to the said player for committing a second cautionable offence, was not justified,” reads an extract from the letter from the review committee.

In an interview with the Managing Director of the team, Mr David Thidiela stated that the league has taken too long to respond to the letter. He said the player has already served his suspension as he watched their games against Silver Stars and Santos from the grandstand. He further argued that the referee’s decision had far-reaching implications, as the league has already deposited full points into Pirates’ account, apart from the fact that the player has already served his suspension.

Thidiela said that the fact that the league has admitted it openly that their referee was at fault, is an indication that the adage that the result of the match is determined by the referee and not the teams themselves is a reality. He further revealed that he was not going to let the matter rest until justice prevailed within the league.