AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy has complained that his side uses too many stadiums in home city Durban.
McCarthy said part of the blame for Usuthu’s poor performance in their 0-0 draw against Marumo Gallants on Thursday should go to the KwaZulu-Natal team using King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, south of Durban, as a venue for the first time this season.
The match was initially scheduled for Wednesday at King Zwelithini but was abandoned nine minutes into the first half after the AmaZulu bench, players and officials complained that the two teams were wearing similar colours.
McCarthy said his side’s relocation to the Umlazi venue for the game destabilised his team, complaining that his players had never used the stadium during his tenure.
“We have to be satisfied with the point that we got because that’s what we got and we can’t change it now. We take the point and then move on,” McCarthy said after the game.
He said: “I think as a club, you look to have stability.
“You can’t move from one venue to the next. We play games at Moses Mabhida Stadium one week and then we move to Kings Park and then King Zwelithini. Of course it is destabilising.
“We have never played nr trained here, and then you ask us to win our home matches. As much as it [King Zwelithini] is in Durban, it is a pitch we used for the first time this season.
“Home advantage gone, already out of the window, and then you have the debacle that happened yesterday [Thursday].”
AmaZulu have played most if their home matches at rugby venue Kings Park during McCarthy’s tenure, with 2010 World Cup venue Moses Mabhida Stadium across the road, sometimes used for bigger matches.
The club have migrated out of their traditional Princess Magogo Stadium home venue in KwaMashu, north of Durban, for some years for obscure reasons that have been linked to muti practices. They used King Zwelthini as a home ground for a spell before McCarthy’s arrival.
The AmaZulu coach said it was difficult to motivate his players to perform at their optimum strength in a game that was started then abandoned on Wednesday, then resumed again on Thursday.
“You play 10 minutes and then the game gets abandoned due to the opposition not having a second kit and then you are asked to go home and come back the next day,” he said.
“You are asked to motivate the players to give you a performance with everything that happened.
“I can’t really fault the players because these are things that are out of their control and because of that, we throw away a game where we could or should have got all three points. Now we have to look forward to a Cape Town City clash.”
The stalemate saw AmaZulu move up to ninth spot on the log on 11 points from nine matches. Gallants remain bottom of the standings on four points from eight winless outings, but at least claimed their first point on the road this season.
Usuthu are in action again on Sunday afternoon when they host MTN8 runners-up Cape Town City in a rescheduled league game at Moses Mabhida.
The game was initially set to take place on Saturday but had to also be rescheduled owing to the rescheduling of Usuthu’s game against Gallants.
McCarthy complains that shifting home venues is ‘destabilising’ AmaZulu
AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy has complained that his side uses too many stadiums in home city Durban.
McCarthy said part of the blame for Usuthu’s poor performance in their 0-0 draw against Marumo Gallants on Thursday should go to the KwaZulu-Natal team using King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, south of Durban, as a venue for the first time this season.
The match was initially scheduled for Wednesday at King Zwelithini but was abandoned nine minutes into the first half after the AmaZulu bench, players and officials complained that the two teams were wearing similar colours.
McCarthy said his side’s relocation to the Umlazi venue for the game destabilised his team, complaining that his players had never used the stadium during his tenure.
“We have to be satisfied with the point that we got because that’s what we got and we can’t change it now. We take the point and then move on,” McCarthy said after the game.
He said: “I think as a club, you look to have stability.
“You can’t move from one venue to the next. We play games at Moses Mabhida Stadium one week and then we move to Kings Park and then King Zwelithini. Of course it is destabilising.
“We have never played nr trained here, and then you ask us to win our home matches. As much as it [King Zwelithini] is in Durban, it is a pitch we used for the first time this season.
“Home advantage gone, already out of the window, and then you have the debacle that happened yesterday [Thursday].”
AmaZulu have played most if their home matches at rugby venue Kings Park during McCarthy’s tenure, with 2010 World Cup venue Moses Mabhida Stadium across the road, sometimes used for bigger matches.
The club have migrated out of their traditional Princess Magogo Stadium home venue in KwaMashu, north of Durban, for some years for obscure reasons that have been linked to muti practices. They used King Zwelthini as a home ground for a spell before McCarthy’s arrival.
The AmaZulu coach said it was difficult to motivate his players to perform at their optimum strength in a game that was started then abandoned on Wednesday, then resumed again on Thursday.
“You play 10 minutes and then the game gets abandoned due to the opposition not having a second kit and then you are asked to go home and come back the next day,” he said.
“You are asked to motivate the players to give you a performance with everything that happened.
“I can’t really fault the players because these are things that are out of their control and because of that, we throw away a game where we could or should have got all three points. Now we have to look forward to a Cape Town City clash.”
The stalemate saw AmaZulu move up to ninth spot on the log on 11 points from nine matches. Gallants remain bottom of the standings on four points from eight winless outings, but at least claimed their first point on the road this season.
Usuthu are in action again on Sunday afternoon when they host MTN8 runners-up Cape Town City in a rescheduled league game at Moses Mabhida.
The game was initially set to take place on Saturday but had to also be rescheduled owing to the rescheduling of Usuthu’s game against Gallants.
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