JOHANNESBURG - You would have sworn Acornbush United had beaten Kaizer Chiefs such were the comments of the ABC Motsepe League outfit’s coach at the end of their 2-1 Nedbank Cup last 16-defeat on Sunday.
MacDonald Makhubedu was scathing in his attack of Amakhosi as he lambasted the Absa Premiership giants for doing nothing to prove their status as the country’s “biggest” side.
“We learnt nothing from Chiefs today,” he charged “We got a red card (before the game was 30 minutes old) but the momentum of the game stayed the same, the tempo stayed the same. You need to show class (if you are a big team).
"I am very disappointed, my players didn’t learn today.”
With his team having walked the Mpumalanga region of the third-tier league to book a spot in the promotional play-offs to the National First Division (NFD), Mahubedu had expected the clash with Chiefs would be a testing one to get his team ready for the upcoming competition.
But, he said, his team got no such test.
“I thought this was going to prepare us (for the play-offs), but they did not. We were playing as if we were playing against number 10 in Vodacom (mow ABC Motsepe League).
"I’m very disappointed. Now I have to get two PSL friendlies before the play-offs.”
Makhubedu was of the view that Chiefs, frustrated by being matched and sometimes even bettered by lower division opposition, played ugly.
“We played 70 percent of the game with eight players inside, not nine. Everytime they were going out because they were being kicked..
“Off the ball, and by the very same player who won player of the season in the PSL for kicking people,” he said in reference to Willard Katsande.
“He kicks people and everything into the stands and we make him player of the season and player of the tournament.
"What are we teaching the young boys? You give players a player of the tournament award for kicking people?
"My young anchor is in hospital, he was kicked just three minutes after coming on. The other player was limping for 70 minutes and Shabba (Siphiwe Tshabalala) hit my player with an elbow.”
He then turned his ire on to the match officials.
“Somebody spoilt the game. I don’t know his name. I don’t know who is he and I am not saying it is the ref.
"But somebody spoilt the game. Red card, elbows, everything, my boys couldn’t play and I am very disappointed. Someone protected them (Chiefs).”
According to Makhubedu, even the assistant referee (Sandile Dilikane) didn’t agree with the early red card referee Chris Harrison showed to Sandy Nyathi.
“I heard the linesman asking the ref, ‘why so early?’ I heard him, he was in front of our bench. He told him ‘why are you spoiling the game?’”
Had the referee not sent Nyathi off, Makhubedu believes his team would have beaten Chiefs.
“Come on. You saw it. They resorted to kicking us (because they couldn’t cope with us). And they scored in the last minute.”