Sekhukhune United coach Cedric Kaze sent off after substitutions delay

Sekhukhune United head coach Cedric Kaze was sent off during his side’s defeat by Orlando Pirates after a disagreement over a lengthy delay to the substitutions process, with the dismissal recommended by fourth official Akhona Makalima.

Kaze had spent much of the match engaging with Makalima before being shown a red card late in the game by referee Philangenkosi Khumalo.

The incident occurred with less than 20 minutes remaining, as Orlando Pirates prepared to make two substitutions and Sekhukhune United made three. The changes were delayed for several minutes while Makalima worked to place the correct numbers on the substitution boards.

That delay appeared to frustrate Kaze, who wanted his own team’s changes completed quickly as Sekhukhune attempted to respond to the situation on the pitch.

Makalima then instructed Khumalo to dismiss the Burundi coach. Kaze took time to leave the technical area, continuing to protest as he walked away, before he was escorted to a seat in the stands directly behind the Sekhukhune bench.

Sekhukhune assistant coach Paulus Masehe said the dismissal followed a misunderstanding between the fourth official and the referee.

“As to what happened on the bench for our coach to get a red card.

“It was just a moment of misunderstanding between the fourth official (Akhona Makalima) and the referee (Philangenkosi Khumalo).

“The honest question that our coach asked was ‘Why are you taking so long?’.

“But from whatsoever frustration from the fourth official, she ended up telling the referee that the coach is using uncalled for language,” explains Masehe.

On the pitch, Orlando Pirates secured a 2-0 victory at the famous Soweto venue after scoring once in each half. Boitumelo Radiopane and Oswin Appollis were the scorers, leaving Sekhukhune empty-handed despite a tactical approach which Masehe believed could have produced a different result on another night.

Masehe said Sekhukhune had planned to slow the game down, draw Orlando Pirates forward and then exploit the spaces around them.

“Playing against Orlando Pirates doesn’t change as they won’t change how they play because they don’t adapt to anyone,” points out Masehe.

He identified finishing as the main weakness in Sekhukhune’s performance, particularly in the final third.

“For us, the missing puzzle in how we play is in being clinical in the final third.

“…there is a certain game model that the coach has introduced that is new,” he says.

The defeat means Sekhukhune United will return to Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday for the second leg of their MTN8 semi-final against Orlando Pirates.

They trail 1-0 from the first leg and will need to overturn that deficit to reach the next stage of the competition.

The match also leaves Orlando Pirates maintaining their position at the top, with Radiopane and Appollis’ goals securing a second-half conclusion to a difficult evening for Sekhukhune.