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Bobby Motaung dismisses Mosimane’s jibe about Chiefs as resulting from his ‘obsession’ with them
Kaizer Chiefs will only indicate via an official statement whether they feel aggrieved by Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane’s remarks about Amakhosi “benefiting” from the mistakes of match officials, says Chiefs’ football manager Bobby Motaung.
However, Motaung echoed the sentiments of some Amakhosi supporters, who have accused Mosimane of being “obsessed” with Chiefs.
Mosimane has laughed off the jibe. “Obsessed? What’s new there?” he asked.
“If you personalise this, then that’s your own problem. I’m not saying that they’re cheating or that referees are helping them. They’re benefiting from the mistakes of the referees. It might be us tomorrow,” he said during an interview with City Press on Friday.
“I’m a big competitor because I want to win, as long as there’s fair play.”
Amakhosi are currently on top of the Absa Premiership log.
Mosimane’s comments were in direct reference to the match officials who erred in ruling out AmaZulu’s two goals in their league game against Chiefs recently, which Amakhosi went on to win.
Chiefs were also awarded a penalty against Golden Arrows last week in a match they again went on to win.
But they have also conceded two penalties so far this season.
Their loss to Polokwane City – their only defeat so far – came from the penalty spot conversion.
In addition, they conceded a last-minute penalty against SuperSport United, but Bradley Grobler missed his spot kick.
Mosimane’s comments could be seen as fuelling the fire against his rivals ahead of the clash between Chiefs and Sundowns in the Shell Helix Cup at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
The two powerhouses will follow up the once-off exhibition match with a league encounter on October 27.
Mosimane’s comments were made during a live post-match interview after his side’s 2-1 win over Black Leopards midweek to highlight that the match officials had erred in denying Sundowns a penalty.
“When it’s Chiefs, it’s always a penalty. I must also benefit,” quipped Mosimane after the league clash in Thohoyandou, Limpopo.
Motaung chose not to comment when asked what he made of Mosimane’s remarks.
“If the club feels there’s something to respond to, we’ll issue an official statement. But, personally, I think Pitso’s obsessed with Chiefs.”
Both sides view the exhibition match on Saturday as an opportunity to keep their engines running during the Fifa international break.
The Absa Premiership resumes on October 23, when Sundowns face Highlands Park before their epic league fixture against Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
“We need to do stocktaking first ... who’s available and who isn’t, in terms of injuries. We need to give opportunities to some of the players who aren’t playing regularly.
“The [exhibition] game is good for us. I don’t mind playing every three days. The only challenge is the travelling,” said Mosimane, in reference to Sundowns’ trips for the CAF Champions League assignments.
However, Chiefs have their own juggling act to take on next weekend as coach Ernst Middendorp and his technical team brace themselves for back-to-back matches.
After the match against Sundowns in Johannesburg on Saturday, another Chiefs team must be in the Free State on Sunday to face Bloemfontein Celtic at Free State Stadium in the Macufe Cup.
“We have the programmes in place and the technical staff are very involved. So we have teams to compete in the two competitions [Helix and Macufe],” said Motaung.
“More games means it’s only fair that the coach gives other players a chance to play,” he added, referring to the fringe players.
Meanwhile, Mosimane said he was anticipating a tough draw when CAF reveals the line-up of the Champions League group phase in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday.
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