Marumo Gallants coach Dan Malesela expressed his dissatisfaction with referee Masixole Bambiso’s officiating during their 2-1 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs in the 2024/25 Betway Premiership opener at Free State Stadium this past weekend.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa had taken an eighth-minute lead through Sekela Sithole’s deflected shot past Fiacre Ntwari to hand the hosts the lead before Mduduzi Shabalala levelled matters in the 17th minute, but it was Joseph Molangoane’s red card in the 76th minute that upset ‘Dance’, as Amakhosi went on to seal the winner four minutes later through Mfundo Vilakazi‘s strike.
“Sweet bitter, kind of a game, mainly because of what we experienced and what probably would have been a better-handled situation or better situations of football,” Malesela told the media after the match.
“I said to the TV guys earlier on that you know sometimes you just wanna explode and speak but because you respect the rules that govern the league and the sponsors and everybody, you don’t want to go there.
“I think we all have to man up and respect this game. We really should respect this game, I know this game, I’ve played it for many years and I still have my respect for it because I can never be bigger than this game and I’m hoping people don’t see themselves as that.
“Because once you deviate from the rules of this game, it means that you see yourself as bigger than this game. There are people that are organising that this league tries and be the best, the leaders that govern this thing, there are people who put in money for this league to be run properly. You should not be the one who spoils it.
“We must have some kind of dignity within ourselves, that needs to be restored. I think the people who take care of football as well, especially in the respective departments, go and look at look situations and try and rectify them,” he added.
“Because if I had brought a team here, that is really not fit, that is not playing football, that is just sitting there, maybe the score is 8-0 or 10-0, will I be doing justice to these people who paid their hard-earned money?
“So, we need fit people to come and entertain people because this is all about entertainment, to entertain people. When people go home, even if Marumo lost but really guys, we see something there.
“Even the people that are at home or listening to the radio, they will say, yeah this was a good game but we all have to take responsibility.
The former Baroka FC mentor also questioned Bambiso’s delaying in flashing out the red card.
“If you give Popo [Joseph Molangoane] a red card for an offense on the sides and there are two centre-backs that are here, what are you saying?
“Why do you say he’s the last man? And you take a long time before you make that decision,” he quizzed.
“You’ve got this VAR in your head that is running. What really is that? Because if it’s conclusive, and it’s conclusive that it is a red card, you wouldn’t take long,” Malesela added.
