Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi has been handed a warning by CAF for his remarks after a CAF Confederation Cup encounter in April. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Simba CEO hits out at Ncikazi, suggests comments driven by job fears
Simba SC CEO Barbara Gonzalez has fired back at Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi over his comments about the team’s treatment in Tanzania.
Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi has been handed a warning by CAF for his remarks after a CAF Confederation Cup encounter in April. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Orlando Pirates lost their first leg CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final match against Simba SC in Tanzania on Sunday, and after the match, Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi launched into a lengthy statement highlighting the mistreatment of the team.
The only goal of the match came in the 68th minute when Shomari Kapombe converted a penalty kick, but Ncikazi insisted that the penalty should never have been awarded.
READ | ORLANDO PIRATES SUFFER NARROW DEFEAT AT SIMBA
In a stunning tirade, Ncikazi implied that there weren’t legitimate reasons for VAR not to be working, while suggesting that officials had deliberately favoured the home team.
The coach also slammed the treatment and conditions the team faced when they traveled to the Benjamin Mkapa stadium in Tanzania, and questioned why fellow African teams were treated this way if there was a genuine common goal of improving football on the continent.
However, his comments have not been well received by the Simba CEO, with Barbara Gonzalez confirming an official complain will be laid.
“If you want to play mind games I would like to ask him to keep my country out of his mouth and also my team,” Gonzalez tells KickOff.
“All the support that was required was given and Simba has never been a bad host. We want to take this further. I want to use this as a teachable moment.
“There are people you can mess with and try to play some psychological games with and I understand there are some fears over job security on his side and the technical team at Orlando Pirates. But this is not the right way to save their jobs and this is not the right way to speak of each other.”
Gonzalez added that there were now real fear about their next trip to South Africa, with the return leg at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto scheduled for Sunday, 24 April at 18:00.
“As CEO of Simba, I don’t accept it as a citizen of Tanzania and I don’t accept this and for this reason, I am going to file a strong complaint. So I would like to see Pirates and also the government address this because it puts us in a tricky predicament.
“It also creates a lot of fear heading to South Africa. We know that there is a high crime rate and we understand the challenges South Africans are facing at the moment so you start to question the kind of treatment that you may or may not receive.
“I am deeply concerned and worried.”
There has been widespread reaction to his comments, with many in South Africa suggesting it was Ncikazi’s proudest moment, while even journalists from Tanzania admitted his complaints were valid.
