Chippa United co-coach Kwanele Kopo has accused Jose Riveiro of insulting him during their Nedbank Cup match against Orlando Pirates at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The Buccaneers won the match 3-1 to advance to the final, where they will look to defend their title after a brace from Kabelo Dlamini and a goal from Tapelo Xoki.
Elmo Kambindu scored the only goal for Chippa, but after the game, Kopo revealed that Riveiro insulted him using the F-word towards their bench.
"It's a bit of a sensitive one because I have never been insulted by a colleague. And I think neither as Thabo [September] and I have huge respect for Orlando Pirates football club," Kopo told the media during the post-match press conference.
September is Kopo's co-coach at the Gqeberha-based PSL club.
"Huge respect for the [Pirates] chairman (Irvin Khoza), for the management of the club. It's a big club, but the language that was used against us today (Saturday), is not needed in football."
Kopo also suggested that the language he complains about was also heard by the referees on duty.
"And for match officials to let it go it's really sad. Coach Steve Komphela once said that we African people do not love ourselves and we treat each other very badly.
"I'm saying insensitive because when you are abused verbally and people that have the power to stop it and they don't do that. Even Bienvenu Eva Nga (Chippa striker) was insulted by the coach and the officials saw it but didn't stop it.
"And it becomes painful because some of us grew up in difficult political times. And you begin to ask yourself sometimes, I'm being abused because I'm who I am, the colour I am.
"We don't have issues with Pirates. I have huge respect for the coach, a very good coach. But today, he left me with a lot of question marks. It's not an excuse for the results, but it's bad for football.
"On the same note, I would like to compliment coach Mandla Ncikazi. He came at half-time and apologised. Even after the game, he came and apologised."
Ncikazi is the assistant coach to Riveiro.
"I understand there are emotions in the game, but I think there is a certain language we cannot use with each other, it doesn't matter how emotional we get," Kopo added.
Chippa will visit Pirates in the DStv Premiership match at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday and Kopo said he is worried about what to expect.
"I don't know how Wednesday is going to be. Only Mandla shook hands after the match, the other coaches could not even look at us in the face.
"Hopefully, we can remedy this. If we offended Pirates in any way, I would deeply apologise to the club and everyone and the coach (Riveiro) himself.
"But I know for a fact we never used the language that was used towards us. Even the players got involved and we lost Eva because of that.
"It cannot be that coaches use the F-word and nothing happens. I'm one person, if you abuse me, then I will respond."
However, Riveiro dismissed the claim he insulted Kopo but admitted that there were tensions on the benches.
“There were moments of tensions between the benches because I was not comfortable with the situation inside the field with some behaviours and some things that were happening during the game which for me are not related with football at all,” Riveiro said
“I feel nothing happened there out of the limit of competition, and the swearing came from every angle, not only from our bench."
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Pirates coach used the F-word against me – Kopo
Riveiro rejects insult claim but admits hot words were exchanged with Chippa bench
Image: Richard Huggard
Chippa United co-coach Kwanele Kopo has accused Jose Riveiro of insulting him during their Nedbank Cup match against Orlando Pirates at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The Buccaneers won the match 3-1 to advance to the final, where they will look to defend their title after a brace from Kabelo Dlamini and a goal from Tapelo Xoki.
Elmo Kambindu scored the only goal for Chippa, but after the game, Kopo revealed that Riveiro insulted him using the F-word towards their bench.
"It's a bit of a sensitive one because I have never been insulted by a colleague. And I think neither as Thabo [September] and I have huge respect for Orlando Pirates football club," Kopo told the media during the post-match press conference.
September is Kopo's co-coach at the Gqeberha-based PSL club.
"Huge respect for the [Pirates] chairman (Irvin Khoza), for the management of the club. It's a big club, but the language that was used against us today (Saturday), is not needed in football."
Kopo also suggested that the language he complains about was also heard by the referees on duty.
"And for match officials to let it go it's really sad. Coach Steve Komphela once said that we African people do not love ourselves and we treat each other very badly.
"I'm saying insensitive because when you are abused verbally and people that have the power to stop it and they don't do that. Even Bienvenu Eva Nga (Chippa striker) was insulted by the coach and the officials saw it but didn't stop it.
"And it becomes painful because some of us grew up in difficult political times. And you begin to ask yourself sometimes, I'm being abused because I'm who I am, the colour I am.
"We don't have issues with Pirates. I have huge respect for the coach, a very good coach. But today, he left me with a lot of question marks. It's not an excuse for the results, but it's bad for football.
"On the same note, I would like to compliment coach Mandla Ncikazi. He came at half-time and apologised. Even after the game, he came and apologised."
Ncikazi is the assistant coach to Riveiro.
"I understand there are emotions in the game, but I think there is a certain language we cannot use with each other, it doesn't matter how emotional we get," Kopo added.
Chippa will visit Pirates in the DStv Premiership match at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday and Kopo said he is worried about what to expect.
"I don't know how Wednesday is going to be. Only Mandla shook hands after the match, the other coaches could not even look at us in the face.
"Hopefully, we can remedy this. If we offended Pirates in any way, I would deeply apologise to the club and everyone and the coach (Riveiro) himself.
"But I know for a fact we never used the language that was used towards us. Even the players got involved and we lost Eva because of that.
"It cannot be that coaches use the F-word and nothing happens. I'm one person, if you abuse me, then I will respond."
However, Riveiro dismissed the claim he insulted Kopo but admitted that there were tensions on the benches.
“There were moments of tensions between the benches because I was not comfortable with the situation inside the field with some behaviours and some things that were happening during the game which for me are not related with football at all,” Riveiro said
“I feel nothing happened there out of the limit of competition, and the swearing came from every angle, not only from our bench."
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