Orlando Pirates head coach Mandla Ncikazi has fumed at the alleged mistreatment they got in Tanzania during their Caf Confederation Cup game against Simba SC on Sunday at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Wekundu wa Msimbazi secured a 1-0 first-leg win over the Sea Robbers in their quarter-final, but Ncikazi chose to address the kind of treatment they got in the East African nation.
“I do not think we deserved to lose. One, as Africans, let us change this mentality that when opponents come to Tanzania, you are so hostile to them that you treat them like animals,” Ncikazi said, although he did not elaborate on the alleged mistreatment.
“We saw inhumane treatment everywhere we go. We were treated so badly, but this is a game of sports that should unite us. But what you get here are hostility and abuse.”
“Why do Africans do this to other Africans? Do you really think the hostility that we get when we come here when Simba come to South Africa should we treat them that way.”
“The treatment that we got from the stadium to the hotel, from the airport – why do you do this as Africans to other Africans, are we going to improve the football in the continent?”
Although Ncikazi was far from impressed with the reception in Dar es Salaam, he assured Simba would be accorded decent treatment in the second leg on April 24.
“You all should be ashamed” #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #orlandopirates pic.twitter.com/cqY0J6JMKH
— Since 1937 (@MuziBucs) April 17, 2022
“You should be ashamed of yourselves as Africans,” he added.
“But listen to this, we’re going to treat Simba with decency when they come. We’re going to show them what it is to be a true African by giving them the best hospitality and treating them like human beings.
“You don’t treat visitors the way we get treated here. You should all be ashamed. We did not deserve to lose, the officials caused us to lose.”
Ncikazi then turned his fury on the match officials and the VAR.
“Secondly, the rules are saying that we are going to use VAR, but VAR was not used,”
“The penalty that Simba got is not a penalty because our defender got the ball first. Before Simba got a penalty, we should have got a penalty, but it was not given.”
“The referee should have the decency to go and check the VAR but it was switched off,” he noted.
The winner on aggregate will progress to the semifinals of the competition.
