Angolan club Petro de Luanda have lodged an official complaint with the Confederation of African Football against South African referee Abongile Tom. The complaint follows their 2-0 defeat to Zimbabwe’s Scottland FC in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round.

The match took place on Sunday at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. Scottland took a strong lead into the return leg thanks to second-half goals from Khama Billiat and Knowledge Musona. Petro, however, have focused their protest on the officiating rather than the result alone.

The main flashpoint came almost immediately after kick-off. Petro goalkeeper Hugo Marques was shown a straight red card barely a minute into the game. Tom ruled that Marques had denied Scottland a clear goalscoring opportunity after coming off his line and fouling an attacker just outside the box. Replays later suggested that Petro defenders had recovered and were in a position to cover the situation.

The decision left Petro with ten men for the rest of the match. They managed to keep Scottland scoreless until the second half, but the numerical disadvantage proved costly. According to reports, Marques later claimed on social media that Tom approached him after the final whistle, apologised, and admitted the red card had been a mistake.

Petro’s complaint is not limited to that single decision. The club is also unhappy with other calls made during the match, including an incident in which their substitute goalkeeper appeared to handle the ball well outside the penalty area without any action being taken by the referee.

Abongile Tom is one of South Africa’s most experienced officials and recently served as the country’s only centre referee at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In recent weeks he has also faced questions over his handling of the MTN8 final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. His appointment for the Scottland versus Petro fixture has now added another layer of scrutiny.

CAF is expected to review the complaint in the coming days. The governing body can investigate the referee’s performance and, if necessary, take disciplinary action. The return leg is scheduled for Friday in Luanda, where Petro will need to overturn the two-goal deficit if they are to reach the group stage.

Whether the complaint leads to any change in the result or simply serves as a formal record of dissatisfaction remains to be seen. For now, the Angolan side have made it clear they believe the officiating unfairly influenced the outcome of a crucial continental tie.

Source: https://x.com/KickOffMagazine/status/2112519256969552353