Morgan Gould‘s reputation as one of African soccer’s most rugged defenders might explain why the referee let this one go.
Kaizer Chiefs defender Gould punched an opponent in the face in the second half of an ABSA Premiership (South African first division) game against Wits University on Saturday. His left jab floored Wits’ Getaneh Kebede, and referee Lwandile Mfiki saw the incident as he was standing close by.
One would expect Mfiki to dismiss Gould for violent conduct, but he didn’t. He only gave Gould a yellow card, and the South Africa international was allowed to continue.
Gould’s Chiefs beat Wits 2-1, and the 30-year-old apologized for punching Kebede after the game.
[tweet https://twitter.com/mor_gould/statuses/399281183349276672 align=’center’]
Gould’s apology didn’t satisfy many in the South African game. Wits lead the chorus, which is calling for disciplinary action against Gould and Mfiki, according to Sport 24.
“This situation is intolerable for us and accordingly, going forward, we will be formally demanding that action be taken against match officials,” Wits CEO Jose Ferreira said. “Insofar as the match official is concerned, we have asked the SAFA to take action against Mr Mfiki for his failure to send Morgan Gould off for violent conduct.”
See Gould deck Kebede in the video below.
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