Chippa coach Kopo blasts Pirates’ Riveiro for ‘abusive language’

Chippa coach Kwanele Kopo accused Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro of using foul and abusive language towards his team during their 3-1 Nedbank Cup semifinal defeat to the Buccaneers on Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

A hard-fought semifinal saw former Chippa striker Bienvenu Eva Nga sent off at the death for dissent, and the Chippa head coach said it was Riveiro who had provoked Nga from the touchline.

“The language used towards us by the coach (Riveiro) today was shocking, it is not needed in football, he can’t even look me in the eye,” Kopo told SuperSport TV.

“He was inciting Eva (Nga) the whole game, that is why Eva was sent off. We respect Pirates but people need to represent themselves better.”

The Chippa head coach said Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi had apologise to his side after the game.

‘It riles us up’

“I must compliment Mandla, everyone was abusing us and he was the one who came to apologise,” added Kopo.

“Even the fourth official, their head coach is using abusive language, but he just keeps quiet. We all know when people are under pressure they don’t want to say certain things, but it is not nice.

“Some of us grew up in a difficult time in South Africa, and when they consistently use this language towards us it riles us up.

“That is what makes us angry, that when people of a certain colour are abusive it seems acceptable in South Africa. I think we need to overcome this.”