Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi complained about poor officiating and the hostile hosting of his side in the wake of their 1-0 Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final first leg defeat to Simba S.C, in Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania, on Sunday.
"I'm not happy about what happened today, firstly as Africans we should change the mentality that whenever another team visits your country, they have to receive every bit of hostility and treat them like animals,” said Ncikazi.
"This is a game of sport that should unite us and build relationships, but we have received the opposite while we are here and everyone here should be ashamed of themselves.
The match at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium was officiated by the experienced Tunisian referee, Guirat Hachim. However, Ncikazi felt his side did not deserve to be on the losing end and his side's defeat was heavily influenced by the officiating.
“You all should be ashamed” #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #orlandopirates pic.twitter.com/cqY0J6JMKH
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"The rules stipulate that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was to be used in this match, but it was not used once."
"Simba received a penalty that wasn't supposed to be while a few moments before that we were denied a legitimate penalty because all of a sudden the VAR is switched off," he ranted.
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An obviously emotional Ncikazi continued in a rant that lasted well over two minutes and assured everyone that Simba would get the best hospitality and treatment when they visit for the return leg.
"We are going to treat Simba with decency, we are going to show them what it means to be a true African.”