Mosimane says team beaten before kickoff

29 August 2014 - 02:37 By Mark Gleeson
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An angry Pitso Mosimane called Mamelodi Sundowns' 3-0 home loss to Orlando Pirates on Wednesday the "worst result of my coaching career" but suggested the odds had been stacked against him and his team before the game following a protest over captain Alje Schut's registration card.

"I find it very strange that Orlando Pirates could know what was in our [registration] book. How did they know to go straight for Schut's card?" he said.

"The game was loaded against us; we wouldn't have won it anyway."

Sundowns face possible charges after Pirates protested that an outdated card had been presented.

Each season, every player registered with the Premier Soccer League is given a card that must be presented for inspection before the match.

The league supplies teams with a hard-cover folder with plastic sleeves for the cards so they are easily transported and displayed in what is usually just a routine formality before matches.

Cards must be taken to all games and the opposing team has an opportunity to inspect them before the match. Some clubs check them more thoroughly than others, even though identity fraud in the top flight of the South African game was left behind long ago.

Mosimane's assertion aside, the question of why Sundowns - who have a bevy of officials around the team - had an outdated card for the Dutch defender in their folder was not answered and is as intriguing as the coach's conspiracy theory.

Although, when it was suggested he was offering up a conspiracy theory, Mosimane retorted: "I did not say that."

Pirates, who must pay R10000 to lodge their protest, might decide it is pointless to proceed in view of their victory in the game.

But the PSL could pursue charges. The rules state "it will be a misconduct for a club to field a player without a valid ID card or alternatively fail to make such ID cards available for inspection prior to the match".

Pirates coach Vladimir Vermezovic said he had been told about Schut's card only just before kickoff.

"It's an administrative problem. I said: 'Never mind, let's play.'

"We wanted to play against a very strong Sundowns. We didn't make any excuses before the game, but rules are rules," Vermezovic said.

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