Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has slammed accusations that the Soweto giants have been benefiting from controversial referees’ decisions this season.
This after Amakhosi found themselves playing against 10-men once again at the weekend, when Stellenbosch goalkeeper Sage Stephens was sent out for an early shower for handling the ball outside of the box to deny Keagan Dolly a goal-scoring opportunity.
The Glamour Boys have had a numerical advantage on nine occasions and awarded 10 spot-kicks this season, prompting insinuation that they have benefited immensely from dubious referees’ decisions.
Addressing the media ahead of their DStv Premiership league clash against bottom-of-the-log Marumo Gallants on Saturday, Zwane stressed that playing against 10 men is not easy and suggested that his team has instead been unfairly targeted with negativity.
“What makes people to say such things is that they think [that] once you have that one-man advantage, you have already won the game,” Zwane said.
“If you look at all the calls made by the referees, would you say that they were not legitimate? We also played against Richards Bay United early in the season where we got a red card and won the game 1-0.
“When we got the red card, the score was 0-0, so why don’t people mention that? Why don’t they look at the positives and [instead choose to] always dwell on the negatives?”
Previously, Maritzburg United coach Fadlu Davids suggested that referee Xola Sitela is a Chiefs supporter when he awarded a controversial penalty that cost them the match, while Stellies coach Steve Barker sarcastically said after their loss at the weekend that Amakhosi get “11 to 12 penalties a season”.
For the latest sport news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
