Former Betway Premiership referee Victor Hlungwani has condemned the officiating in Kaizer Chiefs’ 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns, claiming that midfielder Siphesihle Ndlovu was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Keanu Cupido. Speaking on Soccerzone, Hlungwani insisted that the tackle, which left the Sundowns defender requiring medical attention before being stretchered off, met the threshold for serious foul play. “You can clearly see the knee landing on the ribs of Cupido,” he said. “This challenge endangered the safety of an opponent and should have been regarded as serious foul play. In my view, it should have been a straight red.”
Hlungwani, known as “The Principal,” did not stop at the Cupido incident. He also pointed to a subsequent elbow on Khuliso Mudau that went unpunished, arguing that Ndlovu could have received a second yellow card for that offence. The former referee further highlighted a third flashpoint involving Tashreeq Matthews, stating that Ndlovu’s actions amounted to “strangling another player in a reckless manner.” According to Hlungwani, the referee missed that booking as well, allowing the Chiefs midfielder to remain on the pitch despite a series of dangerous challenges.
The ex-referee did not mince words in his assessment of the overall performance of referee Luxolo Badi. “It was the Ndlovu show and then he got away with murder,” Hlungwani declared on the show. “Here, we are talking about serious foul play, a player endangering the safety of an opponent. When a player uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent, it must be sanctioned as serious foul play.” His strong criticism has reignited debate over the consistency of disciplinary decisions in the Betway Premiership, with many now questioning whether the match official sufficiently protected player safety in a high-stakes