Cape Town City will back Mpho Makola in his appeal against an “inappropriate” six-month PSL ban.
The City midfielder was on Friday found guilty of assaulting a referee after the 33-year-old shoved Abongile Tom for awarding Kaizer Chiefs a penalty in their October 19 Telkom Knockout last-16 clash at Cape Town Stadium.
Tom rightfully awarded the 85th-minute penalty for a handball against Taariq Fielies, which Samir Nurkovic converted to send the match to a shootout where Chiefs won 4-2.
Tom only showed Makola a yellow card at the time, rather than the warranted red.
In a statement released by City at the weekend, the club claims that “bothered by what was clearly a lenient decision, Mpho understood the severity of his misconduct and called the referee immediately after the game to express his endless remorse”.
Prosecutor: Nande Becker. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix.
City took aim at the PSL and prosecutor Nande Becker for “taking advantage” of the player who chose to represent himself at his disciplinary hearing “in an attempt to show that he was not there to fight his innocence”.
The club reveals of the hearing: “There was a clear premeditated intention from Nande Becker to ensure that a 12-month ban and R250 000 fine was placed on Mpho personally.
“Whilst we don’t condone his misconduct against the referee, the club and football fraternity must fight for our player over a correct sentence.
📝 | Club Statement: Mpho Makola pic.twitter.com/VGK5Hz3qj2
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) November 15, 2019
“The sentence for misconduct against a referee is a four-match ban, perhaps the correct determination.
“The interpretation of Mpho’s action was continuously angled in a way that suited the prosecutor’s own definition of assault, without any evidence to affirm that Mpho had any intention of causing bodily harm with force.
“The referee’s own report reaffirms that he never felt threatened, nor did he internalise Mpho’s actions as anything close to assault.
This is what Mpho Makola did. pic.twitter.com/8qplGqctWO
“Needless to say, the club will be behind Mpho as he begins to appeal the decision for a more appropriate sentence.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za