Chiefs ‘put teams under pressure getting 11 or 12 penalties’: Barker blasts ref and Amakhosi

Incensed Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has become the latest DStv Premiership coach to suggest Kaizer Chiefs are benefiting from referees’ mistakes.  

Amakhosi claimed a crucial 2-1 league victory over a 10-man Stellenbosch at FNB Stadium on Saturday thanks to a penalty by Ashley du Preez (11th minute) and a strike by Keagan Dolly (25th).  

The only goal for the visitors was scored by second-half substitute Ibraheem Jabaar (46th).

Stellies had goalkeeper Sage Stephens sent off in the 16th minute after he handled the ball outside the box and denied Dolly a chance to make it 2-0 for Chiefs.

Barker didn’t mince his words about the performance of referee Tshidiso Mkwanazi, saying the match official gave Stellies the short end of the stick. 

The coach said even some of Chiefs' players apologised to him for the referee's performance.  

Barker started his rant in his Supersport TV interview and continued it in the post-match press conference.  

“Unfortunately, it’s not often that I get as angry as I am. We don’t get given enough time to cool down, so I’m going to tell it as it is,” Barker said in his television interview.  

“I think Kaizer Chiefs must have practice sessions against 10 players more often than any other club because that seems like that is all they play against.  

“Ten men at training and penalties, that’s all. For me it was one of the worst refereeing performances I’ve ever witnessed. I don’t deny that some of the tackles and free kicks were there, but we never got one.”

In the press conference, Baxter explained he did not dispute the red card against Stephens, but said there may have been an offside call in the build-up to Chiefs’ penalty.

“Before I get to the anger part, I think one must congratulate Chiefs — they seem to be a team that put other teams under a lot of pressure when they are getting 11 or 12 penalties a season,” Barker said.  

“In the last six matches [for Chiefs, there were] three red cards in the first half to the opposition. Well done to them. They must be doing things right and creating problems for opposition.   

“I’m disappointed with the ref today. If you remember the game maybe they [Chiefs] had double figures of free-kicks around the box.  

“Dolly had three or four parts [of those], [Happy] Mashiane had some parts and [Mduduzi] Shabalala had some chances to take. I’m not denying some of those free-kicks were free-kicks but I’m not sure why we didn’t get any free-kicks in that final third around the box when Iqraam Rayners was being held on many occasions.

“You know, when opposition players even apologise to you about the performance of the ref ... and credit to the players for recognising that and being bold enough to say what they said.  

“And some throw-ins, the ref looked to give them in one direction and fortunately the linesman was showing a different way.  

“That is the anger side and disappointment of this evening, but there’s nothing I can do about it, it’s over we move on.  

“It’s four penalties against us against Chiefs in the last two games. We were denied a penalty in the MTN8 quarterfinals and I’m not too sure what it is — maybe it’s the gold and black jersey that is intimidating, or the crowds.

“I’m not too sure, but I felt we didn’t get too much of the rub of the green today.”

When the two sides met in the first round of the league Chiefs were awarded three penalties that were scored by Caleb Bimenyimana as the Soweto giants recorded a 3-1 victory. 

Saturday's defeat to Chiefs brought an end to Stellies’ seven-match unbeaten run — six wins and a draw — in all competitions.  

The Cape team will be hope to return to winning ways when they travel to meet Royal AM on Sunday. Chiefs host Marumo Gallants on Saturday.

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