“Keep My Country Out of Your Mouth and Also My Team”: Simba CEO Barbara Gonzalez Fires Back at Mandla Ncikazi

• Simba SC's CEO has issued strong words toward Mandla Ncikazi after he blamed the treatment they received for Orlando Pirates' loss
• Simba SC will lodge an official complaint against Mandla Ncikazi following his comments during the post-match conference
• Simba's CEO Barbara Gonzalez also questioned the treatment they would receive in South Africa for the return fixture

Tensions are threatening to boil over between Simba SC and Orlando Pirates following their CAF Confederation Cup clash over the weekend.

Simba won the game 1-0 due to a penalty in the 68th minute, which proved to be a source of contention.

Tensions began to boil over as Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi launched a verbal tirade in the post-match conference, Sowetan LIVE reported.

Ncikazi blamed the loss on the hostile environment and poor treatment they received from their Tanzanian hosts. He also took shots at the Video Assistant Referee, the match officials and the media, saying that they would write lies about how Simba deserved to win when Pirates were cheated.

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Ncikazi’s comments have not sat well with the Tanzanian side, though. Simba’s CEO, Barbara Gonzalez, has hit back at Ncikazi and stated that the club would lodge an official complaint against him, KickOff reported.

"If he wants to play mind games, I would like to ask him to keep my country out of his mouth and also my team," Gonzalez said.

She added that Pirates received the same welcoming that any side would have received, even Paris Saint-Germain and refuted his claims of abusive treatment.

"We want to take this further. I want to use this as a teachable moment. As CEO of Simba, I don’t accept it and as a citizen of Tanzania I don’t accept this and for this reason, I am going to file a strong complaint,” she added.

Gonzalez also questioned the treatment they would receive in South Africa for the return leg, highlighting that the country has a high crime rate and citizens were experiencing numerous challenges, adding that this was spreading fear among the club.

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Orlando Pirates will host Simba SC in the second leg at the Orlando Stadium this coming weekend.

"I don't think we deserved to lose": Mandla Ncikazi reacts to Orlando Pirates' defeat against Simba SC

Orlando Pirates co-coach, Mandla Ncikazi, does not think that the Buccaneers deserved to lose their CAF Confederation Cup game to Simba SC. Simba beat Pirates by a single goal, courtesy of a Shomari Kapombe penalty.

Simba won the penalty after former Orlando Pirates player Bernard Morrison was tackled in the box by Happy Jele, SuperSport.com reported. However, Jele and the rest of the Pirates side were unhappy with the decision, and Ncikazi was even shown a yellow card for complaining to the officials. Ncikazi’s frustration didn’t end there, though.

Earlier, Sports Brief noted that Ncikazi blamed the aggressive treatment they received in Tanzania during the press conference after the game. He also took aim at the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), KickOff reported.