Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has slammed Kaizer Chiefs for looking to kick players rather than the ball in their 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday.
Another fiery encounter involving Amakhosi, the Brazilians were reduced to 10 men when Jayden Adams received a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Mduduzi Shabalala in the 64th minute.
However, Keanu Cupido left the pitch on a stretcher after being caught by Siphesihle Ndlovu inside the opening 15 minutes which left the defender with a broken arm.
It is not the first time that the Glamour Boys have been accused of trying to cause injury to the opposition after Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou claimed he saw karate in the Soweto derby and not a game of football.
Cardoso questioned why the match official was so lenient on Chiefs and Ndlovu in particular, with the midfielder having escaped a red card for a tackle that the Portuguese tactician felt was a lot worse than Adams’.
“In these moments and after a match like this, a coach must have the capacity to focus on what is important and also make some analysis,” Cardoso said.
“I think you (the media) should also analyse things because in the past week we had two of the biggest matches that can be played in South Africa.
“We had Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs and then Mamelodi Sundowns vs Kaizer Chiefs, and I remember in this room you asked me many times about the level of the game in South Africa.
“After these two matches, you have an answer. That’s basically the conclusion that we have to draw; there is still a lot to develop in the game. Matches are always emotional.
“In the Pirates match there were fights from the beginning, balls in the air, kicking in front, kicking behind, kicking players, kicking legs, kicking everything.
“So I don’t really think that is the best way to think about the future of the game here. That’s my first analysis, especially from the way the match started and how it was managed.
“We see a team that entered a pitch not to play football, just to kick players, and the referee let the game go. And because of that, we lost a player.
“A lot of duels were allowed. I think the game was, well, a very ugly game to see, when teams have the quality to play football and just kick it and kick it and kick it.”
