AmaZulu coach Romain Folz has insisted that the bad refereeing in the Premier Soccer League at some point has to stop.
Folz was left yet again unimpressed when Usuthu were denied a legitimate goal against Royal AM in the KZN Derby at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night.
It was the second time Usuthu have dropped points at home after losing 2-1 to TS Galaxy last weekend, with Folz still seeking his first win after signing a new bumper three-year deal with Usuthu almost two weeks ago.
“Yes, I know it is difficult to be a referee, but if I don’t do a good game, I’m not putting it as the problem – players and stuff,” said Folz.
“If they continue this [bad refereeing], they are putting everyone in trouble and that is what they need to realise. At some point this needs to stop.
“I said it last week, for example here, we lost the game here [against TS Galaxy] – I had nothing [bad] to say about referees. He did what he had to do, mistakes here and there on both sides. But he didn’t affect the scenario of the game.
“It is not the referee that results were that [we lost], we lost because of us. Today, we should have won the game, we should have two points more in the game, but it’s not the same. Many games happened like that.
“Remember against Orlando Pirates in my first game [in October], we were denied two penalties in the first half. At some point this needs to stop. When mistakes happen every time, they are not mistakes anymore.
“You make a mistake, you make sure it doesn’t happen again. I mean, this is a lot. You see the sequence [the continuation], right? There is something wrong here, yes or no? Someone brave enough [to say] yes or no (pointing to the journalists)?”
Then a journalist inside the press conference said “yes”, with Folz responding with “Thank you”.
When Folz was asked if he was able to speak to the referee about the incident, the Frenchman said he did because it was a clear handball.
“I went to the referee and I was not even angry at that point, I said, ‘ref, what happened?’. He said ‘he doesn’t want to talk to me’ and that was it,” Folz said.
Folz has been complaining several times about the standard of referees, including after the 3-2 win over Tornado FC in the Nedbank Cup first round where he said the two goals by the lower side should not have stood.
“The funny part here is that we have nine games to play in the league and do you expect them to referee for us well again, despite the event that happened?” Folz asked.
“Don’t you think there is a problem here?”
