Cardoso Slams Referees For Pirates Soweto Derby Goal
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has questioned the officiating in Orlando Pirates’ Soweto Derby victory over Kaizer Chiefs, claiming key decisions consistently favor the Buccaneers.
Cardoso abruptly ended his live SuperSport interview following Sundowns’ 4-1 victory over Durban City at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday.
The Portuguese strategist voiced extreme frustration, claiming Masandawana were denied three clear penalties while taking aim at the refereeing in Pirates’ 2-1 derby win at FNB Stadium.
Cardoso suggested the league race was affected by similar officiating last season when Pirates ended Sundowns’ years of domestic dominance.
Pirates took the lead against Chiefs through Yanela Mbuthuma, though replays indicated the forward was offside before receiving the ball.
Conversely, Pirates were later denied a legitimate second-half goal when Bafana Bafana attacker Oswin Appollis was incorrectly flagged offside following a brilliant pass from Mpho Padime.
Pirates’ derby triumph had temporarily elevated them to the top of the Betway Premiership table, two points ahead of Sundowns. However, Sundowns reclaimed top spot with their late-night victory over Durban City, though Pirates retain a game in hand.
When asked post-match if his team felt pressure following Pirates’ result, Cardoso held nothing back:
“I have to confess to you that I didn’t see the match, but I just saw an incident. I think everyone saw the incident,” said Cardoso.
“One night, one day, remember, for South Africa. I want people to see what happened to the penalties that were not considered and what happened today, because the mistakes they look at, they always fall on the same side, just a matter of bad luck, for sure.
“For us, we have to play every match, concentrate on what we can control, and what we can control is our performance; we try to avoid problems with the referees.
“We try not to speak with the referees; we have to think about our job, make players do their best as we can, and that is the attitude that the team has to have.”
Sundowns will be back in action when they host Golden Arrows in the Carling Knockout quarter finals at Loftus Stadium on Tuesday.
