Sundowns midfielder Tiyani Mabunda throws shade at Kaizer Chiefs

Outspoken Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane's claims that local referees have a bias towards Kaizer Chiefs were echoed by the club's midfielder Tiyani Mabunda on Thursday afternoon.

The two sides meet in a highly anticipated league match at Loftus on Sunday afternoon and Mosimane has fueled the tense build up to the encounter with a volley of barbs directed at Chiefs and a his counterpart Ernst Middendorp.

Mabunda said he agreed with his coach's sentiments that Chiefs have benefitted from poor refereeing decisions.

“He (Mosimane) is speaking the truth‚ we have seen how referees have been assisting them (Chiefs)‚” Mabunda said at Chloorkop on Thursday afternoon.

Mabunda said they prefer to rather focus on things they can control on the field of play when they line up against their bitter rivals in possibly the biggest match of the season so far.

“We can’t falter them because everybody gets their chances‚" he said.

"I heard my coach saying that he is waiting for a time when things will go sour for them and we will see if they will still get support from the referees as they are now."

Mabunda dismissed suggestions that Sundowns could feel the effects of playing their third game in seven days when they host Chiefs on Sunday.

The Brazilians played against AmaZulu and Highlands Park this week while Chiefs' last match‚ on the other hand‚ was the Telkom TKO encounter against Cape Town City on October 19.

“We play a lot of games‚ including the Champions League‚ and we need to always have a strong squad to be able to do the job‚" he said.

"We have an experienced coach and technical team who make sure that we always prepare well.

"We have a super medical team who make sure that we are in good condition to avoid injures as much as we can.

“The past few months have been too much for us in terms of injuries but we have been playing non-stop for over six years.

"It has been like this for six years where we are playing in many competitions on the continent and domestically and injuries were bound to happen.

“We are playing every three days and there is no time to rest here at Sundowns‚ but we know that we have to compete in every match that we play in because our supporters have high expectations.

"We will do our best to try and win the match but it is not going to be easy because it is against our rivals Chiefs.”