Sundowns coach Mngqithi slams officials after Swallows draw

Manqoba Mngqithi believes that with better officiating Mamelodi Sundowns would have won their game against Swallows.

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This comes after the Brazilians were held to a 0-0 draw by the Birds at the Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday night.

After the game, Mngqithi felt that Sundowns should have had three penalties and that Thabo Matlaba and Lebohang Mokoena should have been given red cards for their rough tackles.

“The truth of the matter is I don’t think the officiating was at its best today. A few bad tackles, I saw three penalties to be honest. I saw a penalty on Shalulile’s tackle in the box, Vilakazi’s tackle in the box,” Mngqithi told SuperSport TV.

“I saw a penalty towards the end of the match. I was not too happy with the officiating. Legs could have been broken. Matlaba almost broke Vila’s leg. Modiba, same thing, Mothobi, Cheeseboy.

“The officials are here to protect the players and make sure the match is running properly. And when they don’t do that the game becomes scrappy and people lose their jobs. They get injured badly so it’s very important the referees protect the players.

“We end up having scrappy games as a result of losing players. All these fouls you would expect some serious sanctions. That is football. We are unhappy we did not win the match but credit to the opponents because they also played very well on the day.”

Sundowns, who have already won the league title, will next face Bloemfontein Celtic away on Wednesday.