That Kaizer Chiefs goal was offside, but the ‘Soweto Derby’ Nedbank Cup final is set

by Nomonde Simelane

In true South African football fashion, the highly anticipated Nedbank Cup semi-final clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns ended in chaos after Ashley Du Preez scored a controversial goal in the 89th minute, sending Amakhosi to the tournament’s final match-up, where they will face Orlando Pirates.

The semi-final match-up has caused some commotion on social media, and the last-minute goal scored by speedster forward Ashley Du Preez is the main point of controversy, as fans fail to agree on whether the officials made the correct or incorrect call by allowing the goal. The call for the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has since become even louder, as fans believe that its presence would have made all the difference.

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is among those who believe that the goal should have been ruled as offside. During a post-game media briefing, the Portuguese went as far as playing a clip of the goal on his phone for the media, emphasising that Du Preez was in an offside position when Lehlogonolo Matlou passed the ball to him.

“Then comes a goal that is obviously offside. If you didn’t see, go back and look at it because it’s clear, clear, clear. So when we work in a country that doesn’t have VAR, that’s what happens… There is a team that loses this competition out of a mistake from the referee. I think we are being penalised enough during the season regarding referee mistakes,” he says.

The drama and chaos of this game came shortly after Kaizer Chiefs secured a 3-1 victory over Stellenbosch FC, similarly, as the game was characterised by a late and controversial goal by Pule Mmodi, which Stellenbosch FC revealed that they were not sure whether it should have been allowed. Similarly to what Stellenbosch fans, Kaizer Chiefs fans have encouraged Mamelodi Sundowns fans to head to the nearest police station to open a case of theft if they felt that the game was stolen from them.

After pulling off one of the most chaotic and controversial Nedbank Cup runs, Amakhosi now look forward to taking on their Soweto neighbours in Orlando Pirates in what is set to be a thrilling final ‘Soweto Derby’ match-up.

Also see: Kaizer Chiefs’ controversial goal secures Nedbank Cup semi-final