Fair referee decision? Canada appealed for a penalty, but the referee ruled the South African player did not foul
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Late in the first half of the World Cup round of 16 clash between South Africa and Canada, a highly controversial and fast-paced moment unfolded—one that will surely spark post-match debate.
Details: With the score locked at 0-0, Canada had a golden opportunity to earn a penalty kick. South African defender Kuliso Mudau launched into a hard tackle inside his own box against Canadian player Richie Laryea, sending the latter tumbling onto the turf.
Freeze-frames show just how borderline the incident was: it’s extremely hard to say definitively whether the defender touched the ball before bringing down his opponent.
Despite passionate protests from the Canadians, Portuguese referee João Pinheiro ruled that the defender’s challenge was within the laws of the game and immediately signaled for play to continue. The video assistant referees (VAR) chose not to intervene either, and both teams went into halftime with the score still goalless.
It’s worth noting that the first half ended with the score still at 0-0.
Reminder: The head coach of South Africa’s national team set an age record in World Cup playoffs.
