Victor Hlungwani: Why Did The Referee Change His Mind And Give Timm A Red Card

A lot of incidents took place on Saturday when the Pirates clashed with Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Stadium.

Allende was involved in a lot of clashes. However, he did enough to avoid a red card.

 Sundowns player Shalulile also escaped a red card when he pushed Ndah.

The game was quite emotional from both ends.

The tensions were high as Orlando Pirates clashed with Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday in a PSL fixture. While there were several flare-ups and risky challenges, only one player saw red - Pirates' defender Timm.

In the first half Timm", picked up a yellow card for a robust tackle on Sundowns' star Lorch.

Ndzandzeka felt it was overly aggressive and reckless, The referee gave Timm a yellow card.

That was not the end of the altercations involving Timm, however. In the second half, with Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams looking to distribute the ball quickly forward, Timm closed him down rapidly. the referee deemed Timm's challenge to have halted a promising Sundowns attack.

Initially, the referee booked Pirates defender Ndah by giving him a yellow card, presumably for a foul in the same spot inside the box. Yet after consulting with the fourth official, the referee changed his decision, instead brandishing a straight red card for Timm for the challenge on Sundowns' goalkeeper Williams.

"Whether there is contact or not if the referee feels you are blocking a promising attack, he can caution you," Victor Hlungwani explained.

Timm prevented the goalkeeper from releasing the ball quickly which halted a promising transitional attack by the Sundowns Ndah was out of position. So the referee was within his rights to change his initial call and send off Timm for effectively stopping a dangerous attack. according to Victor.

“Correct decision by Thando Ndzandzeka for giving Timm a red card for the second bookable offence,” said Victor.

Ndah did nothing to Williams.

Yet Timm's rush of blood after already being booked cost his side, with Orlando Pirates forced to hold on for the draw with ten men.

In the end, a share of the spoils maintained Sundowns' unbeaten start to the league campaign. But for Timm, it was a game to forget after seeing red.

The tensions will surely remain high for the next instalment of this spicy rival between the 2 giants.