'Ace' ex-ref gives penalty-happy Gomes high five

WHEN a referee is treated with disdain by coaches and club bosses, you know he must be doing something right.

Victor Gomes, 32, born in Johannesburg and with some fluency in Zulu, fits the profile.

He has again been thrust into the limelight after handing out eight penalties in two PSL matches this month - three when Golden Arrows beat Polowane City 3-2 and five when Sundowns edged out Ajax CT by the same margin a week later.

In his defence, Ace Ncobo and Sylvester Ndaba - two former whistlemen - gave Gomes a six out of eight rating on their respective television shows last Monday.

No doubt that went down the wrong pipe for Gomes's detractors, who've blamed the referee of the year for costing them valuable points.

"At least he's decisive. Sometimes to our advantage and sometimes against us," Downs coach Pitso Mosimane said about Gomes, who started officiating in the Premier Division in 2008 and earned his Fifa badges three years later.

He has never been one to shy away from controversial decisions, something that quickly made him a topic for discussion among coaches and players.

Few have had warm words about the owner of a successful plastics and bottles company, based in Springs, Ekurhuleni.

Steve Komphela's criticism of Gomes led to a suspended R50000 fine for him and his then club, Free State Stars.

"It's a disgrace to whoever put him there [as referee of the year]. If this is the best to come out of South Africa, then SA has no quality.

"It's not that I'm bitter, football is about a win, a draw or a loss. But with a referee like this, who needs an opponent?" said Komphela after results hadn't gone his way.

Another coach who spoke his mind, but preferred to remain faceless, said: "[top referee] Daniel Bennett agreed with one of Victor's calls in one of our games. I told him that his remarks at that moment had me worried. I said to him you are f****** scaring me for a ref at your level.'"

Gomes's private life might have also invited the questions: Is he decisive or arrogant, a celebrity or a servant of the beautiful game? He drives a BMW with the number plates MR REF.

With referees in SA still part-timers, it's a no-brainer to also look elsewhere to make ends meet, especially in a game often riddled with backhanders and match-fixing.

Ncobo, 40, this week praised his protégé for being brave, instead of "chickening out like Howard Webb", who didn't award a second penalty in Arsenal's 2-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool last weekend. Webb, who officiated the 2010 World Cup final, shied away from pointing to the spot for a second time in favour of Liverpool, who had earlier converted a penalty kick.

"I'm extremely harsh on Victor because of our story," said Ncobo. "I met him 10 to 12 years ago when I was still a referee. He waited three hours for me to drive past that suburb again, just to say he wants to be just like me. He's got the hallmarks of a great referee. There's a negative kind of arrogance that creeps in once in a while and I have spoken to him about it.

"I still see the passion in his eyes from our first encounter all those years ago. He is brave to have gone beyond the second penalty.

"I watched him closely in the two games, and I could not detect any hesitation. I have issues with the ease at which he hands out yellow cards but, if club bosses want a good referee, then a bit of arrogance is necessary. He needs to show more of a public rebuke than being emotional."