Offside and sent off not given – Da Cruz fumes – how refereeing shaped the Soweto Derby result

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz launched a scathing attack on match referee Luxolo Badi following his side’s 2–1 Soweto Derby defeat to Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on Saturday. The Frenchman was visibly furious, insisting that critical officiating decisions had cost his team a fair result.

“The analysis is very simple — the game should have been decided in the first half,” Da Cruz told reporters. “For two reasons: we lacked efficiency and should have been leading 2–0 or 3–0, and secondly — Pirates played with 12 men, not 11.”

He pointed to Yanela Mbuthuma’s 24th-minute opener, claiming the forward was offside when receiving the ball. Da Cruz also argued that a Pirates player should have received a second yellow card and been sent off, which would have left the Buccaneers down to 10 men. “Normally, we should have faced 10, not 11,” he said.

Despite the grievances, Da Cruz acknowledged his own side’s wastefulness. Chiefs dominated large parts of the opening period but failed to convert their chances. They equalised through Pule Mmodi just before half-time, only for Tshepang Moremi to fire Pirates back in front midway through the second half — a goal that proved decisive.

The result stretches Chiefs’ winless run in the league to four matches and piles fresh pressure on the coach. Da Cruz insisted his team showed enough quality to win, but admitted: “We must also learn to take our chances when they come.”

https://briefly.co.za/sports/football/257618-kaizer-chiefs-coach-fernando-da-cruz-fumes-refereeing-soweto-derby-orlando-pirates/

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