Hugo Broos questions officiating standards after Mo Salah penalty call

The Group-stage encounter in Agadir was overshadowed by two key refereeing calls, with Broos believing both had a decisive impact on the outcome of the match.

Egypt were awarded a first-half penalty after referee intervention via VAR, with Khuliso Mudau penalised for what was deemed to be a foul on Mohamed Salah.

However, Broos felt the decision was harsh and later revealed that even the Liverpool forward was taken aback by the call.

"My opinion is that in the first half Egypt were the better team, and in the second half we were the better team," Broos told the media after the match.

"But the game was decided by two decisions that were not right."

The Belgian coach took particular issue with the penalty awarded to the Pharaohs, describing the decision as baffling given the nature of the contact.

"The first one is ridiculous. Even Mo Salah said to me after the game that he was surprised it was given as a penalty," Broos explained.

While Egypt benefitted from VAR, South Africa were left frustrated when a handball by defender Yasser Ibrahim inside the box went unpunished. Broos argued that the defender's arm was clearly extended, making it a legitimate penalty claim.

"The second was a real penalty because the arm was extended away from the body and the ball hit the arm," he said.

Broos went on to criticise the growing complexity of handball interpretations, suggesting that the constantly evolving rules are creating confusion not only for players and coaches, but for referees themselves.

"Suddenly there is this rule of a supporting arm. What is a supporting arm?" the Bafana coach questioned.

"There are so many rules now about what is and isn't a penalty that people don't know anymore what to decide."

Despite acknowledging Egypt's strong first-half performance, Broos maintained that inconsistency in officiating ultimately robbed the contest of fairness, reigniting debate around VAR and refereeing standards at the continental level.