'Penaldinho has come and gone' — How Victor Gomes became a refereeing swan

“'Penaldinho' has come and gone,” Victor Gomes says of his transition from someone once regarded as the robust, awkward duckling of SA football refereeing to an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final-officiating swan.

Gomes' moment offering Egypt giant Mohamed Salah his cards and whistle in Sunday's final in Yaounde, Cameroon, where Senegal won on penalties, was the equivalent in match officiating to the prose of Allen Ginsberg or William Blake — purest poetry. It went viral, and Gomes now has a global standing.

One of the youngest referees to officiate at SA professional level with his debut at 25 in January 2008, Gomes always had potential, but his over-eager, sometimes bordering on reckless, style was a shock to the system, earning him the nickname “Penaldinho”.

The official whose car had the number plate “Mr Ref” was seen as committing the cardinal sin of aiming for headlines. He made them, and many were not complimentary.

SA refereeing has hit many lows. As the increasingly wealthy Premiership and its teams have made strides in professionalism the unpaid officials with the whistles seemed to be left behind.

Gomes and assistant referee Zakhele Siwela's accomplished performances not just in Sunday's final, but also a tournament where the officiating standard in 52 VAR-assisted matches was mostly strong, seems indicative of an improvement.

“It's with the constant seminars we have at Safa, Caf and Fifa level that we improve,” Gomes said.

“And I humbly ask for people to be more responsible in their reporting in terms of certain incidents. I feel many times the referee is making the correct decision and people don't understand the application of the Laws of the Game, and that's where the problem is.

“And I promise you, African referees are a force to be reckoned with, let alone SA. If you look at 52 games played in Afcon and possibly one had a problem for medical reasons, I think we've done very well.”

The notable ‘blemish’ was Janny Sikazwe ending the Tunisia-Mali group game early twice, where, Gomes reminded, it later transpired the Zambian referee had suffered heatstroke and needed to be rushed to hospital.

Gomes was asked about his encounter with Liverpool star Salah, and whether teams use big-name players to pressurise officials.

“These are the type of psychological things players try to do to us. I wish I could have a little microphone so [the media] could hear what players were saying to me so they could understand why I'm reacting that way,” the referee said.

“Because many times you don't see on TV that they're biting at you all the time. So we use different skills and methods of handling issues.”

In a rare opportunity for a referee to address the media, Gomes appeared eager to rub back some of the salt he received as a young ref.

It was put to the official that when he came on the scene his apparent zealousness dishing out penalties — five in a game once, in a week where he awarded eight — surprised not just the media, but coaches, players and the public, and that the maturity in his game since has been noted.

Gomes was asked: if the media could admit they misunderstood the young ref to an extent, might he admit the approach was a touch brash?

“Forgive me, I'm going to speak from the heart — I know that 'Penaldinho' has come and gone,” he said.

“I'm very proud of the media we have in SA, and I take my hat off to you, because it's you guys who keep us on our toes.

“And if sometimes there’s lack of understanding, possibly on our part, possibly on yours, it's fine. I do shave my head every night because there are lots of grey hairs coming.

“So yes, I have matured. But I think it's more likely players understand me now.

“And if you really scrutinise my games, I'm the biggest guy joking on the field, and if you respect me we'll have a beautiful game of football.

“But those silent words that come my way when you guys can't hear what's being said [by players] need to be dealt with.

“I've made many mistakes. Every time, if I go home and I've done something wrong, trust me it really bites me. I'm a father and a husband, and I want to make my family proud.

“But there's one thing, and I'm really grateful to God for this: I have been consistent. It is the promise I made to myself.

“If you got Gomes five years ago and you get him now, he's the same Gomes, trust me, and that's what I really believe. So forgive me — I'm being humble from the bottom of my heart.”

It was a fair, uncompromising, passionate and consistent response — exactly how Gomes has officiated. Anything else would have been a surprise.