Wedson Nyirenda coach of Baroka FC and Tshidiso Patjie of Baroka FC during the Absa Premiership match between Baroka FC and Golden Arrows at New Peter Mokaba Stadium on March 13, 2019 in Polokwane, South Africa. (Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images)
Nyirenda revealed his side asked for permission from the municipality for them to use the field in Bethlehem as their training ground ahead of Wednesday night’s clash.
According to the Baroka coach, Ea Lla Koto officials bum-rushed the school’s premises to inform them that they are not allowed to train there.
Baroka and Stars will face off in a relegation battle tie on Wednesday night at Goble Park. Free State Stars are in position 13 on the log table, while Baroka are in 15.
“We went to a certain school for our workout and suddenly cars drove in at the ground. A Free State car came in first, then a BMW X1 and they started talking to my managers saying we cannot train on that pitch, but surprisingly that was not a Free State Stars pitch. It was really surprising. I thought those things were long gone in football, I don’t know when we are going to develop football in Africa if such things are still happening. The municipality gave us permission to train on that pitch,” Nyirenda told Limsportzone.
“We did not do our training programme that we wanted to do, we just did the warm-ups and we left. We just had to leave, there was nothing we could have done. You are in the ground and seven old men are coming to stand in the middle of the ground. What can you do? You just have to leave, but football is not supposed to be like that.”
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