Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has voiced his frustration with referee Eugene Mdluli following his team’s 2-0 loss to Polokwane City in a Betway Premiership clash at Peter Mokaba Stadium. Nabi’s criticism was not solely directed at the defeat but also at the handling of an incident that left left-back Bradley Cross with a serious injury, which the coach believes could have been prevented.
The loss came as a significant blow to Chiefs, who had the chance to climb to fourth place in the league standings with a win. Instead, they now sit ninth with 11 points from eight matches.
Polokwane City capitalized on the opportunity, securing their victory through goals from Oswin Appollis and Mokibelo Ramabu, which lifted them to third place.
Nabi expressed his concerns during the post-match conference, saying, “Remember, my player Edson Castillo is out for six months.
I spoke to the referee and the media, and they tell me that I am aggressive with the referees.
I am not aggressive; I respect the referees because without them there is no football. I stopped talking about the referees, but today it was not good.”
The coach highlighted two penalties he felt were unfairly ignored and emphasized his anger over Cross’ injury. “It’s unacceptable. I respect the opponents, I respect the referees, but I expect respect in return.
FIFA’s first point for referees is to protect the players. How many of my players are in hospital? It’s unacceptable,” he added.
Despite a mixed start to the season, which has seen the team secure three wins, three losses, and two draws, Nabi remains optimistic about Kaizer Chiefs’ progress.
“Anyone who knows football and understands it can see that Kaizer Chiefs are heading in the right direction,” he stated.
The Chiefs will look to bounce back when they face TS Galaxy in their next fixture at Mbombela Stadium on Monday, Reconciliation Day.
