Referee lost in shoot-out drama!

LOBAMBA – It was bound to happen.

With 20 penalties taken, mounting pressure and a marathon shoot-out, even the man in the middle was bound to lose count. That is exactly what happened to Referee Celumusa Siphepho during the penalty shoot-out between Moneni Pirates and Nsingizini Hotspurs this past Sunday.

The Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Charity Cup main semi-final fixture at Somhlolo National Stadium culminated in high drama, as mounting pressure and the technical sequence of the spot-kicks temporarily disoriented the referee.

The thrilling encounter was preceded by an equally tense opening semi-final between Mbabane Highlanders and ambitious outfit Ubombo Sugar FC.

‘Inkunzi ’Emnyama’ defeated the Lubombo-based side via the dreaded penalty shoot-out after both teams failed to break the deadlock during regulation time to book their spot in the final.

It was the same story in the main fixture, as the ‘Sea Robbers’ of Moneni and ‘Insingizi Yezulu’ also played to a goalless stalemate, forcing referee Siphepho to send the clash straight to penalties to determine who would face Highlanders in the final.

A marathon shoot-out saw 20 penalties taken before Nsingizini secured sweet revenge over the ‘Sea Robbers’, having lost 0-1 to Moneni in an MTN Premier League encounter in September.

The confusion arose when Pirates’ national Under-23 star Sibonelo ‘Mzala’ Vilakati stepped up to take his side’s 10th spot-kick. Siphepho was seen consulting fourth official Thembinkosi ‘Dovos’ Dlamini to clarify whether the sequence was starting afresh or continuing.

A source close to the officiating team revealed that the sheer number of spot-kicks caused Siphepho to lose count. “He was confused because he thought Pirates had already completed all their required penalties,” the source confirmed.

This was confirmed by Dlamini, who said his counterpart was confused about the number of penalties taken by the clubs.

“Siphepho got confused during the match. He thought the penalties were going to start all over again, playing a 5 vs 5, yet it was still sudden death penalties,” Dlamini said.

As per the Laws of the Game, every eligible player must take a kick before anyone takes a second. In a shoot-out between two full teams, that means all 11 players on each side kick before the cycle restarts.

When it does, the same principle applies to the next sequence, but a team may change the order of its kickers. A team reduced to nine players starts its second cycle after nine kicks.

It is worth noting that after Vilakati missed his penalty, while Nsingizini and Sihlangu goalkeeper Sibusiso ‘Baraba’ Dlamini converted his to send his side to the final.

The Shiselweni-based outfit were supposed to face ‘Inkunzi ’Emnyama’in the final. The match was eventually cancelled due to a waterlogged Somhlolo National Stadium. The Premier League of Eswatini Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pat ‘Kungumusa’ Vilakati said the logistics of the game will be communicated in due course.

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