Cape Town - Suspended PSL general manager Ace Ncobo failed a polygraph test on Thursday and the question that failed him was the very one he had insisted be included in the test.

Ncobo was hoping to clear his name after suspended PSL referee Jonas Nhlapho made allegations against him recently relating to match-fixing.

Ncobo answered “NO” to the question about whether he had asked Nhlapho if he was taking bribes from Orlando Pirates, as it was alleged by the latter that he did ask him. Ncobo’s response was treated as inconclusive.

The test was conducted by Alethea Polygraph Services after Ncobo agreed to it after Nhlapho’s allegations a couple of weeks ago.

However, Johann Lamprecht, who conducted the test, admitted afterwards in an interview with the media that the failed test doesn’t mean Ncobo was lying, stating that it was inconclusive as to whether he was “being deceitful or emotional”.

For his part, Ncobo is not “fazed” by the failed test and insists it could be that he was emotional.

“That a question about Pirates can bring about such an emotional reaction is such because the League chairman (Irvin Khoza) is a personal friend of mine. I know that Nhlapho chose to refer to Pirates, because he knew of my close relationship to the Pirates chairman,” he said.

Khoza had met Ncobo earlier in the day as was revealed by Lamprecht and though it wasn’t revealed as to what he discussed with Khoza; Lamprecht suggested that perhaps it had an effect on Ncobo when the question about Pirates was brought up. However, one can’t explain why it was an “emotional” question to Ncobo when he had in fact insisted it be included in the line of questioning.

The questions he passed were that he had offered to make Nhlapho the referee of the year if he could reveal referees and clubs that are allegedly involved in match fixing. The other questions related to Nhlapho’s allegations that Ncobo offered that he would earn between R20 000 and R25 000 if he gave him the information and the last Ncobo aced was that Nhlapho was promised that he would sit on the referees’ panel.

Ncobo, however, was adamant when he said: “I carry my head high because I’ve always coerced referees to come out about briberies” and revealed that he has lots of information and affidavits under oath by referees, who implicate certain clubs of match fixing.

Lamprecht suggested Ncobo could be tested again in a couple of weeks to ascertain if indeed he was being “deceitful” on the Pirates question.