adminBIDVEST Wits have urged the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to charge Kaizer Chiefs defender Morgan Gould with violent conduct for the “brutal assault” on their striker Getaneh Kebede following the clash between the two sides at FNB Stadium on Saturday night. Gould delivered an on-the-field knockout blow on the Ethiopian forward in the 60th minute of their Absa Premiership clash, but was let off the hook by referee Lwandile Mfiki who did not issue a red or a yellow card for the incident.
Following Chiefs’ 2-1 victory, the Amakhosi centreback apologised on Twitter for what he called “a freak accident”, but Wits chief executive Jose Ferreira wants him punished.
In a statement yesterday, Ferreira went even further, threatening that the club would take legal action against Gould for the “brutal assault” and match official Mfiki for failing to send the player off.
“Bidvest Wits can confirm that, arising from the incident which took place in the 60th minute of this [past] weekend’s Premier League match between Chiefs and Wits, they have written to both the PSL and Safa demanding that immediate and exemplary disciplinary action be taken against both Chiefs centre back Morgan Gould, as well as match official Mr Lwandile Mfiki respectively,” the club’s statement read.
Ferreira said the club hierarchy had reviewed the “video evidence and the match commissioners’ report” and were convinced extreme measures should be taken to penalise Gould and Mfiki.
“In so far as the match official is concerned, we have asked the South African Football Association to take action against Mr Mfiki for his failure to send Morgan Gould off for violent conduct.”
The Clever Boys were trailing 1-0 at the time of the incident, but coach Gavin Hunt reasoned that a red card could have changed the nature of the game and given his side an advantage.
The PSL head of communications Connie Motshumi could only confirm that the league had received the complaint from Wits. She did not say whether the league would charge Gould.
Safa, on the other hand, distanced themselves from the incident. “These issues involved the PSL and the clubs and not Safa,” he said.
Chiefs said they would take corrective measures against Gould and apologised to Kebede and Wits.
“The club . . . views this particular incident in serious light,” Chiefs wrote on their website yesterday. – Sowetan.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter