AMAZULU coach Joey Antipas is a relieved man after his players showed their willingness to die for him and the team’s honour.
The 10-man Usuthu came back twice to beat Royal Eagles 3-2 in their National First Division (NFD) match on Sunday.
The match had all the drama expected from a derby, but this KZN clash became a one-man show – starring the referee, Nkosinathi Mahono.
His dubious decisions saw AmaZulu faithful baying for his blood during and after the match. It all started with the red card he flashed at Mabhuti Khenyeza in the 25th minute.
Khenyeza had received his second yellow for simulation. His two yellow cards were less than 10 minutes apart.
After the red the match was no longer under Mahono’s control. At one time the police had to be called in to calm down the angry Usuthu fans, who felt the referee was biased.
The rough tackles by both squads did not help the situation, as this ultimately saw Mahono dish out 10 yellow cards – five to each side. Mahono and his assistants had to be escorted off the pitch after the match as angry fans threw objects at them.
The coaches refused to comment on Mahono’s decisions. “I’m not the type of coach that picks at referees. All I can say is I’m happy we got three points against all odds. For me, personally, this win is a relief more than anything,” said Antipas.
“Results were not coming and there was a time where I questioned whether I was good enough to lead this team. I’m very thankful to the players for fighting for me and the team,” added the Zimbabwean.
Eagles, who are still in second place in the NFD table but now seven points behind leaders Thanda Royal Zulu, led twice, with both goals coming from Raymond Monama.
After the match Eagles coach Kosta Papic was furious at his players for letting this one slip: “We led twice but ended up losing the match.
“My players let themselves down by allowing the opposition to come back after they were reduced to 10 men. I’m not going to saying anything about the referee, everybody saw the match.”