Mamelodi Sundowns’ Manqoba Mngithi Unhappy With Referee, Blames Official for Masandawana’s Second Defeat

• Mamelodi Sundowns were defeated for only the second time this season when they were beaten by Maritzburg United
• Mamelodi Sundown's co-coach, Manqoba Mnqithi, has blamed the referee for Masandawana's loss in the DStv Premiership
• Manqoba Mngqithi described the penalty call in the 92nd minute as the biggest dive he had ever seen in his life

Mamelodi Sundowns' co-coach, Manqoba Mngqithi, has taken aim at referee Thando Ndzandzeka after Sundowns were beaten by Maritzburg United.

The team of choice handed Sundowns only their second defeat of the season, as they won 2-1, thanks to a late penalty. The penalty decision though has got Mngqithi fuming.

In the 92nd minute, Amadou Soukouna went down in the box after trying to get past Sundowns’ goalkeeper, Kennedy Mweene.

Referee Thando Ndzandzeka pointed to the spot, believing that Mweene had brought down Soukouna. Replays showed though, that there was no contact and the player appeared to dive.

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Maritzburg United scored the penalty to claim a 2-1 win but Mngqithi was not happy. Speaking after the game, Mngqithi said that ‘it was the biggest dive he had seen in his life.’

The full post-match interview was shared on SuperSport’s Twitter account.

As reported by The Sowetan, Mngqithi criticised the refereeing, saying that the DStv Premiership ‘should not be turned into a banana republic.’

Mngqithi also questioned the officiating in the build-up to Maritzburg United’s first goal. Mngqithi accused Alfred Ndengane of climbing on Thapelo Morena, to head home from a corner.

He did admit though that Sundowns were guilty of not putting away the chances they had and also had themselves to blame for not killing the game off earlier.

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In the biggest upset during yesterday’s fixtures, current DStv Premiership Champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, were beaten by Maritzburg United. The Team of Choice scored in the 92nd minute, from a controversial penalty, to claim a memorable victory over the log leaders.

Sundowns were looking to extend their lead at the top of the table and move one step closer to wrapping up the league title. They did create more chances than Maritzburg but could not finish any of them. Just like AmaZulu, Sundowns also missed a crucial penalty.