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PSL bad boys: 'Football is a contact sport – it is not for sissies'

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Benni McCarthy of Cape Town City marshalling his players. Picture: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images/File
Benni McCarthy of Cape Town City marshalling his players. Picture: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images/File

The bust-up in the tunnel during the ill-tempered league clash between Maritzburg United and Cape Town City last weekend brought to the fore the fact that the two sides have the worst disciplinary record in the PSL.

The clubs could face a PSL disciplinary committee for misconduct during the fracas at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.

The league’s prosecutor, Nande Becker, confirmed this week that he was investigating the events that followed Maritzburg defender Rushine De Reuck being sent off in the game that City won 3-2.

The red card took the tally of Maritzburg players who have been sent off this season to three.

De Reuck joined his team-mates Fortune Makaringe and Siphelele Ndlovu, who have already been dismissed so far in this campaign.

City have three dismissals to their name, with defender Taariq Fielies’ two red cards and that of newcomer Zukile Kewuti in the bad boy’s register.As if this was not enough, De Reuck and Fielies jointly hold the record for players with the most yellow cards this season.

City’s coach Benni McCarthy, however, said that his team was being persecuted by the referees.

“If you are not a big-name team, you’re the one who suffers the most,” the outspoken coach told City Press this week.

“I think that, most of the time, if you look at the incidents, you’ll see how quickly people [referees] get trigger-happy when it’s against us.”

The 41-year-old added: “My players are physical and football is a contact sport – it is not for sissies.

“The referees also need to learn that, when contact is fair, then it’s fair. But there must be consistency.

“You look at how many of our players get injured to leg-breakers and not even yellow cards [are issued to the culprits].

“We step on a player’s toe, we get a red card for that.”

Centre back Fielies, the most recent City player to be dismissed, picked up his second red card in his team’s 5-0 demolition of Free State Stars in January.

Stars midfielder Sibusiso Hlubi was sent off in the same game.

Last weekend, Black Leopards’ midfielder Khuliso Mudau also attracted an unwanted statistic when he collected his second red card in succession in his team’s goalless draw against Highlands Park last Sunday.

What is more puzzling about Mudau’s dismissals is the short space in which he accumulates his yellow cards. He was cautioned in a space of five minutes against Highlands and in four minutes against Bloemfontein Celtic early last month.

Leopards coach Dylan Kerr said Mudau has to learn from his mistakes because the midfielder’s “willingness to win sometimes overtakes his thinking”.

“He’s got to take the responsibility because he let the club, his team-mates and the supporters down,” Kerr told City Press.

“We are always trying to do our best in discussing the rules of the game and the behaviour of our players.

“He’s got to learn from it. I spoke to him the other day and said that he was a player of the season contender, but now people are talking about his yellow cards and red cards.”

Midfield strongman Lehlogonolo Masalesa is another Leopards player who has seen red this season.

He was dismissed in Lidoda Duvha’s elimination of Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup in January.

Kerr himself has also been in trouble with the league after the PSL disciplinary committee charged him with “misconduct arising from abusive and insulting utterances” towards a referee, and “contemptuous, discriminatory and disparaging remarks” to the match commissioner during Leopards’ league clash against Baroka FC in January.

“What I said was misinterpreted,” protested the Englishman, who is still waiting for his sanction from the PSL committee.

Still on red cards, the dismissal of Bidvest Wits’ Robyn Johannes against Kaizer Chiefs in January copped a R100 000 fine, of which half was suspended.

This after the defender was charged for bringing the league into disrepute and making improper statements towards referee Victor Gomes, who sent him off in stoppage time during the game in which the Clever Boys lost 2-0.

PSL Bad boys

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