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AmaZulu coach: I think it's a shame for the country

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DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - APRIL 13: Pablo Franco Martin, head coach of AmaZulu FC during the Nedbank Cup, Quarter Final match between AmaZulu FC and Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium on April 13, 2024 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - APRIL 13: Pablo Franco Martin, head coach of AmaZulu FC during the Nedbank Cup, Quarter Final match between AmaZulu FC and Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium on April 13, 2024 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)

AmaZulu head coach Pablo Franco Martin has described their loss against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup as "a huge scandal and a shame for the country".

The KwaZulu-Natal side were not happy with the penalty awarded to the Buccaneers in the first stanza after Patrick Maswanganyi got the equaliser to make it 1-1 heading to the interval.

Usuthu went on to lose 4-2 to Pirates, but Martin made his feelings clear about the officiating.

READ | Pirates pip AmaZulu to Nedbank Cup semi-finals

"Do you want to talk about football or about what really decided this game?" Martin asked on SuperSport.

"This is the problem that we're having here (in South Africa), the games are decided by some people who are not the players, again a scandal, a huge scandal. We played against the best team in this kind of competition.

"After 15 minutes they dominated us, they started the game very well, we balanced everything, we were leading the game. We won the first-half, even if the scoreboard says something different. We won the first half," he said.

"And after that, in the second-half, it was an open game, nice game, a nice fight, 2-2, we hit the crossbar, (we should have) won the game from there. At the end, with this score it seems like they are winning and it's not true.

"And it's something that is happening the whole season with AmaZulu, we don't (get) any respect and the results are decided by someone else who thinks we don't have families, that we don't work very hard."

The Spanish coach was asked if he is referring to the match officials.

"Do I need to tell you? Was it not evident? Do you really want me to answer? Didn't you watch the game? The images, what happened?" he responded.

"We received a red-card (on the bench), which was crazy. The normal thing is that we didn't control ourselves but again credit to my team because after such a scandal then we came back into the pitch, we controlled our emotions and we played with discipline, with quality," he went on.

"When you're playing against these circumstances and we're used to it. It's a pity but we're used to it, we know what we can expect when we're playing against this kind of opponent.

"I'm sorry, this is what I feel. This is the anger we all have and I'm expressing that here. I think it's a shame for the country,"

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