Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker slammed the officiating in his side's defeat to Kaizer Chiefs while claiming the opposing players even felt the need to apologise to him.
Chiefs made it five wins on the bounce across all competitions with a 2-1 win over Stellies at FNB Stadium.
The defeat was the first loss for the away side in four matches with Barker feeling hard-done by referee Tshidiso Mkwanazi's officiating on the day.
READ | Dolly responds to Chiefs critics
Barker’s charges were reduced to 10 men just after 17 minutes when goalkeeper Sage Stephens was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the box in an attempt to stop Chiefs' Keagan Dolly from scoring.
"Disappointed in the referee today," Barker told journalists.
"If you remember the game, I think they ad maybe double-figure free kicks around the box and Dolly had three or four pots, Mashiane had some pots, Shabalala had some chances to take.
"I’m not denying that some of those free kicks were free kicks but I’m not sure why we didn’t get any free kicks around the box when Iqraam Rayners was being held on many occasions. When opposition players even apologise to you about the performance the referee.
"Credit to the players for recognising that and being bold enough to say what they said. Some shown ins, the ref was looking to give it one direction, fortunately the linesman was showing the other direction. So that is the anger side and the disappointment of this evening.
The win for Chiefs means a step closer to a CAF Champions League qualification spot, with SuperSport, Pirates and Chiefs now all equal on points.
For Stellies the loss missed a miss opportunity to climb up to fifth.
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