Mamelodi Sundowns being beneficiaries of wrong refereeing calls this season is something Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi wants to be addressed.
Ncikazi said he hopes that football will be the winner on the day on Saturday when Pirates face Sundowns in the final without any controversies.
Ncikazi is suspended for the MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (18:00) after he was red-carded when these two sides met last month at Orlando Stadium.
The former Golden Arrows coach was left incensed after Sundowns were awarded a penalty when Themba Zwane appeared to be tripped inside the box and his harsh words saw him getting sent off when he made his feelings known about the decision.
Sundowns appeared to have benefitted again when they beat Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN8 semi-final second leg in Pretoria when Thapelo Maseko appeared to kick behind Mduduzi Mdantsane in the last minutes and referee Luxolo Badi waved play on.
The referee has since been placed under a rehabilitation program by SAFA disciplinary board for failing to award a penalty to Amakhosi, who would have gone through on away goal rules if they were given the spot and converted.
Ncikazi, speaking at the MTN8 final breakfast in Inanda that was attended by PSL acting CEO and Golden Arrows chairlady Mato Madlala and Sports minister Zizi Kodwa, suggested Sundowns are getting favourable calls.
“For the benefits of the game, I’m not the most intelligent in the room or in the country,” said Ncikazi.
“Let’s see and the truth is in front of us. I hope fairness prevails in football and it’s not like we don’t know what is happening, we all see but we pretend as if we don’t see.
“I see people are quiet because I’m speaking the truth.”
Ncikazi won this cup with Arrows in the 2009/10 season when he was the assistant coach to Manqoba Mngqithi when they crushed Ajax Cape Town (now Cape Town Spurs) 6-0 at Orlando Stadium.
He and Mngqithi have now won this cup twice, with Ncikazi adding it last season with Pirates when they beat AmaZulu.
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Mngqithi got his second when Sundowns got their first MTN8 trophy in 14 years when they beat Cape Town City on penalty shootouts in the 2021/22 season.
“It is funny and coincident that Sisi Mato is here, she is an acting CEO, she gave both of us an opportunity (me and Mngqithi),” he said.
“The first time we tested the cup trophy, we were working together. More than anything she groomed for a long period.
“The coach that I am and the man that I am, she has got so much contribution.”
