Chippa United co-coach Kwanele Kopo has commented on Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro’s “shocking” and “abusive” language towards his dugout.

The Chilli boys were eliminated from the Nedbank Cup after suffering a 3-1 defeat against the Buccaneers at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

Kopo says he is disappointed at the officiating throughout the game and how they did nothing despite the abusive language coming from his counterpart in the other dugout.

“I’m very disappointed by the officiating and also I have a lot of respect for Orlando Pirates but the language used towards us by the coach (Riveiro) today was shocking! Absolutely shocking!” Kopo told on SuperSport TV after the game.

“Not needed in football, (he) can’t even look at me in the eye after the game or shake a hand. He was insulting the whole game, that’s why Eva Nga was sent off, the coach was…I know Pirates wanted to defend the trophy and I respect the club and the officials of the club. But I think people can represent themselves better.”

He added: “Coach Mandla (Ncikazi) I want to compliment him, that when everybody else was abusing us, he was the one calm person that came to apologise to us. So big up to coach Mandla for that.

“But even a fourth official could hear a coach using abusive language against us and they just keep quiet. But it’s okay, we move on, we’re all coaches we know when people are under pressure.”

He continued, “We don’t want to say certain things because we’re gonna be look at as ‘its not nice’. Some of us grew up in a difficult time in South Africa and you consistently use a certain language towards us, it riles us up so that’s the disappointing part for me and that’s what makes us angry.

“Even for the referee, when people of a certain colour or language are abusive, it seems like it’s acceptable in South Africa and I think we need to overcome that,” he concluded.

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