AmaZulu coach questions decision to give Chiefs’ Dolly Man-of-the-Match

AmaZulu head coach Pablo Franco Martin expressed his surprise that Kaizer Chiefs’ Keagan Dolly won the Man-of-the-Match award after Usuthu beat Amakhosi 1-0 at FNB Stadium to reach the quarterfinals of the Carling Black Label Knockout.

Taariq Fielies got the only goal of the game shortly before the end, as Chiefs were stunned at home, but the Man-of-the-Match award is voted for by the fans. Given the popularity of Kaizer Chiefs, it was almost inevitable that one of their players would walk away with the cheque for R100 000.

“I was expecting one of our players to get Man-of-the-Match,” Martin told SuperSport TV after the game.

“But it is good to see Dolly back.”

Dolly has returned from a long injury lay-off but Molefi Ntseki’s Chiefs continue to disappoint in the 2023/24 campaign. This defeat means they will now go an eighth successive calendar year without picking up a single piece of Premier Soccer League silverware.

Central defender Fielies, meanwhile, was a surprise goalscorer, arriving on the edge of the penalty area to provide a cool finish and stun the home crowd, some of whom pelted Ntseki with missiles at the end of the match.

Stadium ban

Chiefs are set to be given a stadium ban for the behaviour of their supporters, after repeated incidents like this already earned them a R180 000 fine at the start of October.

“Right now our midfielders and defenders are scoring more than our strikers,” added Martin.

“This speaks well about the team. When you keep a clean sheet it is not only about the goalkeeper and defenders. And the defenders are helping the strikers. I am very happy, this is what a real team is.”