Quite a bit has been said about referee Victor Gomes after his performance in last Friday’s top-of-the-table clash between Cape Town City and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The ref got up the noses of both teams, with Downs boss Pitso Mosimane seeing red and City skipper Robyn Johannes also getting his marching orders.
Sure officiating a match is hard work, but looking at the incidents that lead to Gomes’ decisions, his calls seemed pretty harsh.
And the 35-year-old has a history of dishing out cards like he is a Valentine’s Day player.
City No.2 Vasili Manousakis said it was the "Victor Gomes Show", while Pitso said the ref is always trying to be the man of the match.
The ref’s job is to keep order on the pitch and manage the game according to the laws.
But Gomes’ actions seem to suggest that he sees himself as a direct agent of the game, one who can decide the outcome.
This is wrong, but he will go unpunished because the PSL don’t seem to have a performance assessment for their refs, who have been called out consistently for bad decision making.
Maybe it’s time we see more of the PSL sorting out refs and less time for the men in the middle.