In the post-match conference after Swallows FC were held to a goalless draw by TS Galaxy this weekend, one could count on non-vulgar words being used by The Birds head coach Ernst Middendorp.
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He certainly couldn’t hide his frustration with the match officials that day.
The experienced mentor was left fuming when Gregory Damons was sent off for a foul on Mlungisi Mbunjana, although in retrospect, referee Skhumbuso Gaza’s decision was vindicated.
However, the officials made a mistake in the dying moments of the game when they flagged Keegan Allan’s “goal” for offside, when the scorer was clear.
Middendorp, unlike most coaches, says that while there are still mistakes made by referees, the Premier League is not yet ready for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
“I see the bigger problem is that if you have a VAR you need a lot of competence, knowledge and experience. Now we have a lot of wrong decisions and you want to say that if we have this, who will solve it and who is qualified?” said Middendorp.
Chief Kaizer’s former mentor continued to slam Mbunjana, suggesting that his reaction to his misconduct against him would be more appreciated in Hollywood.
“It’s the eighth act at the highest level to force the referee to give a red card, then it affects the whole game. It’s all nonsense and we have to accept this nonsense. Now I’m not surprised that we have to accept certain situations, so we have to move forward,” added Middendorp.
The Birds take on Sekhukhune on Friday, and the German coach is optimistic about his team’s chances of getting out of the red zone.
“It’s not about losing or winning, but about collecting points. I’ve been here for a month and people ask me when the results come. We don’t have the capacity to sign players and we have to work with what we have,” he said.