Chippa United coach Kwanele Kopo has termed Jose Riveiro’s behaviour during the Nedbank Cup match against Orlando Pirates at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, as bad for football.
The Soweto giants beat Chippa 3-1 in a tense semi-final clash played in Gqeberha on Saturday. The Buccaneers will now meet Mamelodi Sundowns in the Cup final in Nelspruit on June 1 after also beating Stellenbosch 2-1 in Cape Town on Sunday.
READ | Bucs coach responds to Kopo on abusive language allegation
Kopo and Riviero drew headlines over the weekend after having words on the touchline during the match, with Kopo having some choice words on the heated exchange.
“I have never been insulted by a colleague. I think neither Thabo (September)," the Chippa coach said during the post-match press conference.
"I have huge respect for Orlando Pirates Football Club, huge respect for the chairman and the management of Orlando Pirates. It's a big club but the language used against us today is not needed in football and for match officials to let it go it's really sad. Steve Komphela once said we as African people tend not to love ourselves and we treat each other very badly,” Kopo told journalists after the match.
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“I am saying it sensitively because when you are abused verbally people that have the power to stop it and don’t stop it. Even Eva Nga was incited by the coach and the officials saw it and didn’t stop it.
"It becomes painful because some of us grew up in difficult political times and you begin to ask yourself sometimes; 'Am I abused because of who I am, the colour I am?'
"We don’t have issues with the Pirates, I have huge respect for the Pirates coach, he is a good coach but today has left me with a lot of question marks. It's not excuses for the results but it's bad for football. It's very bad for football,” he added.
Chippa United are set to visit Orlando Pirates in the DStv Premiership match at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Wednesday.
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