Bafana Bafana were robbed! Former Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund star slams officiating after Egypt's win, but ex-Orlando Pirates coach agrees with Burundian referee's controversial decision in AFCON blockbuster clash

Bafana Bafana were edged 1-0 by Egypt in their 2025 AFCON Group B encounter on Friday. 

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah converted a controversially awarded penalty on the stroke of halftime to separate the two sides. 

South Africa pushed hard for an equaliser after the break and enjoyed promising spells of possession. 

With 13 minutes remaining, Bafana felt they should have been awarded a penalty after an Egyptian player appeared to handle the ball inside the box. 

However, the referee waved away the appeals after consulting VAR, denying South Africa a chance to level matters late on.

It was an incident that sparked arguably the biggest talking point of the match.

Former South Africa international Steven Pienaar believes Bafana Bafana were robbed in a match where he felt the odds were stacked against them, claiming they had to compete against both the referee and Egypt. 

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund star voiced his frustration with what he viewed as questionable officiating.

Pienaar felt that Bafana should have been awarded a penalty after VAR denied in the closing stages of the game that Egypt's Yasser Ahmed's handball inside the box was deliberate. 

"Well done Bafana Bafana, we can’t play against the referee and Egypt," said Pienaar.

"Wow don’t know how VAR, it [the handball] was in the box"

Top player agent Mike Makaab, a former Orlando Pirates coach, has also aired out his opinion about the referee's decision.

"Sorry, I totally disagree. The rule applies to a player that falls and uses his arm to break the fall, in this case he intentionally lunged forward with his arm outstretched," said Makaab.

"And by the way your advice to young players is incorrect. You cannot slide tackle with your arms away from your body and get away with it.   

"Important Exception, it would be a handball offence [and typically a penalty if in the penalty area[ if the arm/hand is extended in a way that makes the body unnaturally bigger [e.g., the arm is deliberately outstretched away from the body in an unnatural position, not purely for support]."

Former FIFA referee Jerome Damon has also joined, explaining why he feels the match official made the right call.

"In the 87th minute, let’s go step-by-step:  The referee saw handball outside the penalty area and whistled foul," said Damon.

"VAR first checked where the contact was, then saw inside the penalty area. So if handball, then penalty kick.  

"VAR second check: Handball or not? The defender was sliding towards the ball and it hits the supporting arm [coming down to ground]. 

"Was it a consequence of the slide? Yes. Was it justified? Yes. So non-deliberate. That’s why VAR recommended OFR for possible no-penalty," he added.  

"The referee relooked and agreed. Non-deliberate handball which is not punishable, as arm was not making body unnaturally bigger.  

"FINAL DECISION: No offence.  RESTART: Drop ball."

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah admitted that Bafana dominated them.

“I’m very happy with the result, for sure,” Salah said as per Flashscore.

“It was a tough game; they dominated most of the time. It’s a team that can keep the ball for a long time, so I think we had a good game plan and it worked.  

“We walked away with the three points; that’s the most important thing. The atmosphere was incredible. It was a difficult game, the crowd was big in the stadium, and that helped us a lot.  

“Hopefully, we can carry on like this. Since the draw was held in Morocco in January 2025, we knew the game against South Africa would be difficult, as they have many talented players.

"We played a full half against South Africa with only 10 players and still secured the win," added the Liverpool star. 

“I thank all the players for executing our tactics well and closing down South Africa’s players effectively. I am happy that we don’t rely on a static tactic; we adapt our approach for every game.”