Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has called for an improvement in the standards of officiating in South African football, in the aftermath of the Soweto derby.
Amakhosi drew 1-1 on Saturday to stay three points clear at the top of the log, but there were a number of contentious decisions and inconsistencies in the refereeing, according to Baxter.
"At the finish, we didn't know if we were going to get a corner or a goal kick, or a yellow card or a throw-in."
Baxter drew parallels with the development of players and officials, insisting more needed to be done to improve the state of refereeing in the top-flight domestic league.
"The authorities - whether it's SAFA, the PSL, the clubs, or whoever - need to invest more in the development of the kids (players), with a good development programme to give them a path to reach the national team."
He believed the same process should be followed in the development of match officials. "We need to have a discussion on how the officials can improve.
"I'm sure the referees want to improve. They don't want to hear coaches moaning and groaning all the time."
Baxter said the referees should be held accountable for their performances, in the same way players were responsible for theirs.
"I think officiating is a massively difficult thing. I know that in a game like this they're also under pressure, but I still think if we're going to talk about the development of the South African game, that's an area that needs to develop.
"A player needs to know - is that a good tackle or should that be a red card? If we don't know, how do we coach it?
"If you ask managers in the (English) Premier League or La Liga, they'll say exactly the same thing. They just want consistency."
Amakhosi drew 1-1 on Saturday to stay three points clear at the top of the log, but there were a number of contentious decisions and inconsistencies in the refereeing, according to Baxter.
"At the finish, we didn't know if we were going to get a corner or a goal kick, or a yellow card or a throw-in."
Baxter drew parallels with the development of players and officials, insisting more needed to be done to improve the state of refereeing in the top-flight domestic league.
"The authorities - whether it's SAFA, the PSL, the clubs, or whoever - need to invest more in the development of the kids (players), with a good development programme to give them a path to reach the national team."
He believed the same process should be followed in the development of match officials. "We need to have a discussion on how the officials can improve.
"I'm sure the referees want to improve. They don't want to hear coaches moaning and groaning all the time."
Baxter said the referees should be held accountable for their performances, in the same way players were responsible for theirs.
"I think officiating is a massively difficult thing. I know that in a game like this they're also under pressure, but I still think if we're going to talk about the development of the South African game, that's an area that needs to develop.
"A player needs to know - is that a good tackle or should that be a red card? If we don't know, how do we coach it?
"If you ask managers in the (English) Premier League or La Liga, they'll say exactly the same thing. They just want consistency."
