Richards Bay explain Jomo Biyela confrontation with match officials

The Natal Rich Boys suffered a 2-1 defeat to Polokwane City in their Betway Premiership opener at home.

Footage circulating widely on social media shows Biyela in a heated exchange with the officiating team after the match, with police officers stepping in to prevent the situation from escalating. The video also appears to show the Richards Bay chairman involved in a physical altercation with a bystander during the commotion.

The incident has drawn widespread attention, not only because Biyela is the owner and chairman of Richards Bay, but also because he serves on the Premier Soccer League executive committee.

READ: Andile Dlamini: We need to play to our strengths against Burkina Faso

SABC Sport approached the club for clarity on the events that unfolded after full time, with Richards Bay insisting the chairman's actions have been taken out of context.

According to club spokesperson and media officer Xolani Zungu, Biyela had first gone onto the pitch to congratulate his players and greet the technical teams before shaking hands with the match officials. 

The club claims the confrontation only began after the chairman was allegedly insulted by referee Moreki Lekwape.

Zungu further said Biyela also intervened to prevent a Richards Bay club official from confronting the referee as tensions flared.

The flashpoint centred on Lekwape, who twice altered his decision following discussions with his assistant referees after Richards Bay appealed for a penalty. 

The officials ultimately awarded a corner kick instead of a spot kick, leaving the home side convinced they had been denied a chance to equalise.

"The chairman initially went to the pitch to try diffuse the situation because, as you can imagine, there were fans who were unhappy with the officiating and wanted to confront the referees," Zungu told the public broadcaster.

"I can tell you that the chairman succeeded in making sure the individual did not get close to the match officials. As per norm, he went to shake the hands of the match officials after the game and jokingly mentioned the application of VAR, however the response was words we cannot even repeat."

Zungu claimed the exchange then deteriorated after Biyela was allegedly insulted by one of the officials.

"That made matters worse and the chairman wanted to know why he was being insulted. The match commissioner was informed and promptly asked for a meeting, which resulted in an apology to the chairman. I think it ended there," he added.