Smiso Msomi
The KwaZulu-Natal derby between Royal AM and Richards Bay continued it’s bitter rivalry, began years ago in the second tier of South African football, on Saturday with another tale of animosity added to its history.
Thwihli Thwahla and the Natal Rich Boyz flashed the money, the goals and the off-field drama but it was the officiating that grabbed the most attention as Royal AM scored two second-half penalties to edge the hosts in uMlazi.
While Yanela Mbuthuma pulled one back for the home crowd, it was not enough as Royal AM handed Richards Bay’s hopes of survival from relegation a huge blow.
Vusumuzi Vilakazi, the head coach of Richards Bay, unsurprisingly expressed disappointment in the result on the day but also took a swipe at the referee, Luxolo Badi, and his team in what he deemed a one-sided performance.
The normally composed Vilakazi suggested that the match officials might have instigated his side’s downfall on the night. He felt that the majority of the decisions went against his men.
“I was definitely not happy (about the officiating) but that’s not my place,” he said.
“You could see that certain people came with their own mission (on Saturday) that we’ll never know about ... I think the referee was not on our side. We just smelt bad for him.
“Even with the penalties, it’s the first time I see a penalty given with none of the opposition players protesting for it. We all got surprised that it was a penalty
“That’s shocking in itself but that’s our refereeing in South Africa. What can I say? I must not be a cry baby and we have to soldier on.”
Richards Bay’s latest defeat sees them fail to make up the ground on Royal AM, who were their closest target on the log before the game.
The Natal Rich Boys are now seven points away from 14th-placed Moroka Swallows and 13th-placed Chippa United with 12 league games league to go.
Vilakazi expressed his disappointment at the result and the consequences of their latest defeat. He also detailed what he feels has been the core of his side’s inconsistency following another wasteful day against Royal AM.
“Not one of the results we were looking for, obviously. We should’ve taken the advantage of playing at home and tried to get the full set of points,” he said.
“I must be very honest, I’m really sad and that’s because of the effort and commitment these boys have been putting in. You’ll find that we’re unlucky in terms of converting chances that we get – we got about seven chances today but we weren’t able to convert them into goals.”
The Natal Rich Boys will have an opportunity to pick themselves up when they travel to Chippa United on Wednesday.