Arthur Zwane criticizes Sundowns and asserts that they will retaliate similarly.

Arthur Zwane, head coach of AmaZulu FC, has revealed his displeasure with Mamelodi Sundowns, directly accusing the team of using ball boy tactics to gain an unfair advantage.

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The Usuthu lost the match to the reigning Betway Premiership champions Sundowns 2-0 at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday night.

The loss to Masandawana meant that AmaZulu missed out on the opportunity to enter top three on the log standings. They are now seventh in the table with 30 points from 22 matches played. AmaZulu, prior to their encounter with Sundowns, was on an unbeaten run for three matches with two wins against Magesi FC and Cape Town City FC, and a draw against SuperSport United. The KZN team succumbed to Sundowns after allowing two late second-half goals in a close encounter for full points. 

WHAT DID AMAZULU'S COACH ZWANE SAY REGARDING SUNDOWNS? 

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Zwane has accused Sundowns of employing time-wasting strategies via the ball boys. The 51-year-old coach asserts that the reigning league champions directed ball boys to prolong the match's restart, a strategy they will employ again in future encounters between the teams. 

“I’ll take you back to the game. How many times did Sundowns try to press us but didn’t get the ball? It tells you about the quality we have in the team. Usually, when Sundowns press you, they’ll get the ball, but with us they couldn’t do that. I think about six times we came out of the press,” Zwane said.

“In the first half, they were also frustrated, but the problem is when we got to the final third, we didn’t hurt them but with them; when they come out, they’ll hurt you. So that was the difference.

“Sundowns tried to press in numbers, but we made sure because we also have quality players that can come out of high press, but the final ball to get the right player at the right time was lacking.

“We got two 1v1 situations, and with the right pass, you go straight to the goalkeeper. We could have gone to half-time leading 1-0. It comes with confidence, but when Sundowns felt pressure, they started kicking the ball, and even their ball boys started rolling the ball, so we are learning, and we’ll also do the same to them.

“They are going to have to understand in future, we’ll teach our ball boys to do the same, to say that now we’re leading and we are playing Sundowns, let’s roll the ball and let them come get it.”

“We then fight with the referee, it’s fine. You change the ball boy and bring another one, we tell him the same thing, so we learn that’s football.”