Muhsin Ertugral insinuates referee was ‘Man of the Match’ in Pirates loss
The sting of defeat to Orlando Pirates was compounded for Cape Town City FC coach Muhsin Ertugral by what he perceived as questionable refereeing, suggesting that the match official was the true Man of the Match.
Luxolo Badi was the man in the middle as Pirates came back from a goal down to beat CT City 2-1 in a highly entertaining Betway Premiership tie at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
CT City succumbed to a late Goodman Mosele goal from a Relebohile Mofokeng corner just three minutes before the final whistle. Pirates had earlier clawed back from Domingo’s early strike, with Tshegofatso Mabasa netting the equaliser courtesy of a Mohau Nkota assist.
The defeat deepens Ertugral’s woes, marking his third consecutive loss in the league and sixth in ten games. Though he started his tenure as CT City coach brightly, earning the PSL January Coach of the Month award, his troops are mired in a five-game winless slump.
Ertugral’s post-match presser was marked by a clear sense of disappointment as he expressed his concerns about the referee’s performance following the Bucs game.
He argued that his ‘best player’ Haashim Domingo was subjected to a campaign of dangerous tackles by Pirates, unchecked by the referee and that Kayden Francis was repeatedly fouled without receiving the necessary protection.
ERTUGRAL ACCUSES REFEREE OF STEALING THE SHOW AGAINST PIRATES
Ertugral claimed that the true ‘Man of the Match’ was referee Badi, not Pirates defender Nkosinathi Sibisi.
“…Hashim, our best player on the field, had two very heavy tackles, which I must say, football is about protecting certain players on the field,” said Ertugral.
“You have very good players on the field and obviously they are targets in games and I wouldn’t give the Man of the Match today [Saturday] to the players, definitely not, I would say it that way.
“I was a bit disappointed, I must say. There was on our side Kayden [Francis]; I counted three or four situations because his pace is obviously lighting. He was kicked to pieces in front of these guys [match officials].
“I would definitely not give the Man of the Match [award] to any player today; it is sad, I must say. It is difficult for me to stand and find solutions because Pirates is a quality team with high demand and possibilities. If you get your chances, you must use them and put them under pressure. But from a tactical point of view, the boys did tremendously well for about 70 minutes, in my opinion.”
When pressed to clarify his statement that no player deserved the Man of the Match accolade, Ertugral responded, “I think the answer is very clear when I say today, there is no Man of the Match from the players. I don’t need to say much, you understand. This implies the CT City coach’s dissatisfaction with the referee.
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