Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi has finally responded to claims that the club benefited from suspicious own goals during their Betway Premiership title triumph.
The Buccaneers ended a 14-year wait for the league crown last season after beating Orbit College 2-0 on the final day to lift the trophy.
However, the victory sparked controversy because both goals came from Orbit own goals.
Some critics claimed Pirates were favoured, while others even suggested the match had been manipulated.
Speaking in the club’s post-season documentary, Bucs Camp, Ncikazi dismissed the allegations and accused critics of applying double standards whenever Pirates are involved.
“I like how the knives become sharper for any decisions that are for Orlando Pirates,” said Ncikazi.
“If you remember correctly, it is not the first time in the PSL that we’ve seen two own goals in one match.”
Ncikazi pointed to other league matches where similar incidents happened but received little attention.
“We saw two own goals in the match between Siwelele and Mamelodi Sundowns, but nobody spoke about it,” he said.
“For the first time, Siwelele also conceded seven goals in one game, something that had never happened in their history.”
He added that Kaizer Chiefs also benefited from two own goals against AmaZulu, yet there was no public outrage.
“I also saw Kaizer Chiefs score through two own goals against AmaZulu,” he continued.
“So why is it such a big issue when it happens with Pirates?”
Ncikazi believes the criticism is driven by people who do not want to see Pirates succeed.
“For me, it shows how much some people want to see Pirates fail,” he said.
“At the same time, there are many people who support Pirates. But whenever you are successful, there will always be those who don’t want you to succeed.”
The former Golden Arrows coach insisted Pirates deserved their title and rejected suggestions that the club received any unfair advantage during their championship-winning campaign.

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