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Johannesburg - The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has distanced itself from an incident after an African Champions League match at Orlando Stadium, in Soweto, on Saturday night.
An official of Congolese team TP Mazembe reportedly struck Swazi referee Smanga Nhleko after the visiting side's 3-1 loss to Orlando Pirates in their first-leg last 16 encounter.
"This is a CAF (Confederation of African Football) issue. It has nothing to do with the PSL," said PSL spokesperson Lux September.
The incident occurred after the final whistle, with Pirates having been awarded a penalty which they converted in the dying minutes of the clash.
According to reports, the referee was hit in the face and fell to the ground.
The unnamed official then made it onto the Mazembe team bus before local police arrived on the scene.
Pirates coach Roger de Sa said he had not witnessed the incident first-hand.
"I didn't see anything. All I heard was that there was a bit of a scuffle with the referee," De Sa said.
Earlier this month, in a PSL match between Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows in Durban, a fan invaded the pitch and attempted to hit referee Lwandile Mfiki with a vuvuzela after a Chiefs player had been sent off.
