WATCH | Hlungwani, Ncobo’s verdicts on Pyramids’ VAR-disallowed goals against Pirates

Former referees Victor “The Principal” Hlungwani and Andile “Ace” Ncobo have rubber-stamped decisions by video assistant referee (VAR) that saw two strikes by Pyramids FC disallowed in their Caf Champions League semifinal first leg clash against Orlando Pirates.

Pirates go to Friday’s second leg in Cairo with a 0-0 scoreline that leaves the Soweto giants an outside chance of reaching their first final since 2013. That scoreline is thanks largely to two “goals” that were allowed by Burundian referee Pacifique Ndabihawenimana in the first leg at FNB Stadium on Saturday but overruled by VAR.

In the first instance, Pyramids' Congolese striker Fiston Mayele ran onto a chip ahead from midfield by Mohanad Lasheen. Pirates defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi went up for the intercepting header but could not quite reach and the ball, which glanced off his head backwards into the path of Mayele to volley past Sipho Chaine.

TV refereeing analysis panellists Hlungwani and Ncobo agreed Mayele was offside.

Hlungwani said at the moment of Lasheen’s pass, Mayele was clearly offside — even in the interpretation that he had not interfered with play at that point and was played onside by Mbokazi’s header, given it was an uncontrolled deflection from the Bucs player Mayele remained offside.

“There’s what we call ‘deliberate play’ and ‘deflection’,” Hlungwani told SABC football show SoccerZone.

“Mayele is in an offside position. Now we’re going to see, did Mbokazi deliberately play the ball or did it deflect? The law says when you jump you are no longer in control of the ball.

“He jumps, he’s no longer in control of the ball — so that is a deflection and with a deflection the player [Mayele] is gaining an advantage by being in that position. So correct decision for offside.”

Ncobo, on pay channel SuperSport TV, said the VAR would have taken into account a teammate Lasheen's pass travelled past in front of Mbokazi, Deano van Rooyen.

“Our primary focus here is on two things: the distance travelled by and speed of the ball, plus whether the player [Mbokazi] could have naturally been able to position himself and control the movement of his body.

“I’m pointing out that player [Van Rooyen] because that’s the player who halves the distance between the kicker [Lasheen] and the player who heads the ball to the man in an offside position.

“At that moment [as the ball travels past Van Rooyen], he [Mbokazi] is still hoping the teammate may [intercept] the ball. So what VAR would have looked at is the distance between that moment when the ball has gone past [Van Rooyen] to the moment where he [Mbokazi] instinctively jumps to try to defend.

“That’s why it was considered a deflection rather than deliberate play that went wrong.

“The speed of the ball and short distance before he instinctively tried to defend convinced VAR it was not deliberate play but an attempt to save the ball.

“In that instance the VAR was spot on.”

In the second instance, Pyramids’ big Moroccan midfielder Walid El Karti got up at a corner to head past Chaine but the ball brushed in off the arm of teammate Sodiq Ougola in front of the line.

“Football does not accept a goal scored by the hand, even if accidental. [In this instance] it touches the player’s hand and goes into the net,” Hlungwani said.

“The referee gives the goal. VAR comes in and says, ‘You did not see the hand’.”

Hlungwani clarified this applies in the instance of “scoring with the hand”. In a situation where a player keeps his arm close to his body and does not make himself bigger, then gets hit on a limb with the ball, not being called a foul applies to defenders but not a player scoring a goal.