I’d rather be poor than sell a game – Pretoria Callies coach Kwanele Kopo

The Tshwane side were thumped 4-0 by their Limpopo counterparts, a result that was enough to see them gain automatic promotion to the DStv Premiership next season ahead of Cape Town Spurs. 

Spurs went into the final week of the campaign as log leaders of the National First Division, which is the Premier Soccer League second tier, but failed at the last hurdle when they only managed a draw against AmaTuks. 

But what raised eyebrows was the fact that Callies were 4-0 down before half-time against City, a scenario Kopo admitted was unusual.  

“The way we played was not the way we always express ourselves. I think the magnitude of this game was going to lead to questions – before it even started I was already being asked about the line-up,” the coach said in an exclusive interview on Sport Night Amplified with Andile Ncube on Monday night. 

“When we conceded four goals in the first half, and this hasn’t happened in a single match over 18 months, it just added petrol to the fire. It was really startling to me. It felt like I was at the wrong place with wrong players and the wrong team. There were a lot more players that were not at their best, if I could I would have taken maybe nine players out if the rules allowed.” 

Kopo was then asked point blank if the game was sold or whether he’d been approached to throw the fixture. 

“I don’t know. I don’t want to lie. I know that I have addressed the players about the possibility of these things happening from the time we got out of relegation. We knew that we had to face the teams that were up for promotion – Spurs, Casric Stars and Polokwane City,” he explained. 

“But when you look at the performance, anybody sitting at home watching TV or at the stadium…looking at that game, it brings those thoughts in. I would never sell a game. I would rather be poor with nothing than to sell a football match. I would never do that. I’ve listened to my post-match maybe a 100 times, there’s no words – and I challenge anybody that says that – where I say the senior players sold the game. This has created a rift between me and the senior players.” 

Kopo also confirmed that he is unsure about his future as Callies coach beyond this point, with his contract set to run out. 

“It’s been a difficult season and my contract comes to an end [next month]. We need to reflect. Do I want to [stay]? Under the right circumstances I am open to that – but that is an internal discussion,” he added.