Jerome Damon Claims Two Soweto Teams Used Brown Envelopes In PSL

Former PSL referee Victor Hlungwani has backed Nigerien referee Brahamou Sadou Ali’s decision to allow Guinea’s controversial equaliser to stand during Bafana Bafana’s 2-1 victory in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying opener.

South Africa claimed all three points against Paulo Duarte’s Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, although the encounter was briefly overshadowed by a disputed second-half goal.

Guinea levelled the match in the 69th minute when Seydouba Cissé found the back of the net after the ball deflected from a free-kick situation. Several Bafana players immediately protested, believing the Guinea attacker had been in an offside position when the ball reached him.

However, Hlungwani has explained that the positioning of Relebohile Mofokeng meant Cissé was legally onside when the ball was played.

“Some say offside, some say no offside. The ball deflected, and then Cissé scored,” Hlungwani said on Soccerzone.

The former referee pointed specifically to Mofokeng’s position, suggesting that the South African player’s leg kept Cissé onside.

“You can see there’s a player [Mofokeng] sleeping there with a mattress at Orlando Amstel Arena. His leg put Cissé onside,” Hlungwani explained.

According to Hlungwani, Cissé, whom he described as an experienced player, reacted quickly and took advantage of the defensive positioning.

“Mofokeng slept and put his leg in front. Cissé, as experienced as he is, capitalised on that,” he added.

Hlungwani therefore concluded that referee Sadou Ali and his officials were correct to allow the goal, despite the immediate protests from the Bafana players.

“So, correct decision by the referee to give the goal. There’s no offside there,” he said.

The goal temporarily brought Guinea level before South Africa restored their advantage and eventually secured a 2-1 victory under newly appointed head coach Pitso Mosimane.

The result gives Bafana a winning start to their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign as Mosimane begins his latest assignment with the national team.

Meanwhile, former PSL referee Jerome Damon has separately made allegations about historical claims of bribery involving referees in South African football. Damon’s comments are unrelated to the Guinea goal and do not establish that any wrongdoing occurred during Bafana’s match.

South Africa will now turn their attention to their next Group D qualifier as they look to build on their opening victory.

Was The Guinea Goal Correctly Given In Bafana Win? Hlungwani Responds

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