Royal AM defender Thabo Matlaba says he has been left disappointed with the criteria used to select the Man of the Match in the newly launched Carling Knockout Cup.
Matlaba says this has become a popularity contest as fans will always choose their favourite players instead of the best player on the day.
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In the Carling KnockOut, the Man of the Match is rewarded with a huge R100 000 cheque.
"Thanks for asking me this question, and I'm not going to run away from it," Matlaba tells KickOff.
"To be honest, this is not right. Trust me, I watched Orlando Pirates versus Cape Town Spurs.
"I thought Deon Hotto or Olisah Ndah would get the Man of the Match.
"Take nothing from Lorch, what a player, I love that boy so much, and he knows that.
"He played well, but he didn't serve the Man of the Match in that game. They voted for Lorch because they love Lorch.
"Orlando Pirates supporters love Lorch. They were happy to see his return, that's why they voted for him.
"I watched Cape Town City against Golden Arrows. They voted for Khanyisa Mayo because they love Mayo. Trust me, it's not fair. R100 000 it's a lot of money.
"As players, you give your best, but at the end of the day, they vote for the players they love.
"Before our game against Sekhukhune United, one of my teammates said to me, hey Thibos, maybe we will be lucky and get the Man of the Match tonight because we have many followers.
"My response to him was, that shouldn't be the case. I need to play well to get the Man of the Match.
"To have supporters voting Man of the Match is not a good idea. I wonder how they came up with the idea.
"It's something that we as players we've also been debating about. People will always vote for their favourites."
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