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The spate of penalty cards indicates a festering lack of discipline as well as disrespect for the coach.
Three red cards in four matches is a sign that things are not going well at Orlando Pirates.
This the view of former striker Andries Sebola, who said the sendoffs could be a result of underlying problems at the club.
Sebola, a prolific striker in his heyday, was critical in his assessment of the team.
“I think the players are crying out for help. Something is just not right here. The discipline is not there. The players are not playing their hearts out. I won’t be surprised if it’s an attitude of ‘let me get a red card so I can stay at home’. It is clear that some players are not happy with the coach,” he said.
Sebola came to prominence as Pirates’ super sub in the 1990s.
He argued that the likes of Justin Shonga, Augustine Mulenga and Thembinkosi Lorch were no longer the same under interim head coach Rhulani Mokwena.
Sebola said that Mokwena’s inexperience was showing, adding that Pirates should get a new coach.
“He is failing to control the dressing room. Some players are showing their unhappiness.
“[Bucs goalkeeper] Wayne Sandilands is older than him; do you think he will respect him?”
According to Pirates senior administrator Floyd Mbele, the club is concerned about the number of red cards the team picked up last month alone.
The rare occurrence has raised questions about the level of discipline, with the likes of Sebola suspecting that the players have little respect for Mokwena.
Influential winger Lorch became the third Bucs player to be sent off this season when he was shown a straight red for retaliation in a league game against Polokwane City on Tuesday.
His sendoff followed a few weeks after captain Happy Jele got his marching orders for two yellow-card offences against Maritzburg United on November 5.
Defender Mthokozisi Dube was the first Pirates player to be red-carded this season when the full-back picked up two yellow cards seven minutes apart against Kaizer Chiefs in a Telkom Knockout quarterfinal in Durban at the beginning of last month.
“It’s a concern, more so because it is something unusual for us,” conceded Mbele.
“We have to look at the situation in the context of how we have been performing. Maybe it’s the manifestation of the general frustration of the players, especially knowing what they can achieve for the club. “But this does not condone their behaviour. The general attitude must be fair play.”
Mbele said there was a code of conduct in place and that the club was clear when it came to bookings and misconduct.
Instead of rushing to punish offenders, Mbele said the club could gather as many facts as possible.
“Each case must be dealt with on its own merit, and it is something we are looking at. But, at the same time, we are not at a stage of raising the alarm.
“Instead of rushing into meting out punishment, we should also consider rehabilitation.”
A player dismissed by the referee – that is, red carded or sent off, including dismissal as a result of two yellow cards given in the same match (for the first time in a season) – will be suspended from participation in the next two matches to be played by his team in any competition under the auspices of the PSL.
- 52.2 For each subsequent dismissal during the same season, the period of suspension will be increased by one match from the suspension previously served.
- 52.3 Any period of suspension or part thereof that remains outstanding at the end of a season must be served at the start of the next season.
- 52.4 Any dismissal that occurs during a match that is stopped or abandoned before the end of regular time will be maintained.
53 CAUTIONS
- 53.1 Any player who accumulates four cautions – that is, yellow cards – for the first time in a season will be suspended from participation in the next match to be played by his team in any competition under the auspices of the league.
- 53.2 Any player who accumulates an additional four cautions – yellow cards – in the same season will be suspended from participation in the next match to be played by his team in any competition under the auspices of the league.
- 53.3 Any player who accumulates an additional four cautions – yellow cards – in the same season will be suspended from participation in the next three matches to be played by his team in any competition under the auspices of the league.
- 53.4 For each additional four cautions received by the same player in the same season, the suspension will be increased by one match from the suspension previously served.
- 53.5 Where a player receives a red card in a match, any yellow cards received by the same player in such a match will not be counted for the purposes of this rule. – NSL Handbook
Mbele maintains that the technical team has been conducting sessions of engagement with the players.
The Buccaneers endured one of their worst starts to a campaign when head coach Milutin Sredojevic jumped ship abruptly in August after just three games into the 2019/20 season.
From 12 official games since August 20, Mokwena has a record of four wins and as many draws and losses across all domestic competitions.
The defeats include back-to-back league and cup loses to township rivals Chiefs in the first week of this month.
Although their 3-1 league win over Polokwane City moved Pirates a notch up – to eighth place on the log – the Buccaneers are 15 points adrift of log leaders Chiefs.
Both teams have played 12 league matches so far.
While many had expected Mokwena to have been axed by now, Mbele maintained that “the status quo remains”, in essence saying that the 32-year-old tactician remains in charge on an interim basis.
Meanwhile, Lorch will miss Pirates’ last two matches before the festive break, while Jele and Dube will be available for selection when Pirates travel to Baroka FC in Polokwane on December 11.
Other Bucs stars are also walking a tightrope, with Vincent Pule, Ntsikelelo Nyauza and Fortune Makaringe all sitting on three yellow cards each, meaning they are a game away from suspension.
Jele, who has just completed a two-match suspension, is also on three yellow cards, meaning one more caution will send him back to the stands.
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