Richards Bay FC Suffers Controversial Loss to Polokwane City

Richards Bay FC falls to Polokwane City in a 2-1 Betway Premiership match, with controversy surrounding the final whistle.

Richards Bay FC suffered a 2-1 loss to Polokwane City in their Betway Premiership opener, with controversy surrounding the final whistle. The match saw Polokwane City take the lead in the first quarter with a pin-point corner kick from Giovanni Philander, which was headed into the far corner by Rodney Maphangule.

The home team, Richards Bay FC, looked to stage a comeback to go into the break on level terms, but were unable to find the back of the net. The second half saw Polokwane City double their lead, with Banele Mnguni's snap shot striking the upright and Tidimalo Molokwane scoring the rebound.

Richards Bay FC pulled a goal back midway in the second half when captain Simphiwe Mcineka rose on the end of a delivery by Moses Mthembu and headed into the top corner. However, the drama did not stop there as the referee awarded a corner to the visitors on 85 minutes despite the appeals of a handball, before changing his decision to award a penalty. The penalty decision was eventually reversed and a corner was awarded, leaving the away side visibly upset at the full-time whistle.