Easy Nedbank Cup win for Orlando Pirates? Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC blasted for giving Bucs 'free pass to last 16'

Before the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 encounter against Orlando Pirates, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila announced they will host their opponents at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium.

TTM play their home matches at the Thohoyandou Stadium but were forced to host the Sea Robbers away from their own turf, a move that has been questioned and said to have handed the Soweto giants an advantage.

TTM's General Manager, Azwihangwisi Phasha, explained why they decided to host Pirates in Durban as opposed to their home in Limpopo.

“The reason why the game was taken to Durban was that the Vhembe region is part of the places that have been declared a natural disaster [due to recent floods],” Phasha told FARPost in an earlier interview.

“So it was not safe for people to come to this side. That was the reason why the match was moved to Durban. Before that, we tried to move the match to Polokwane, but unfortunately, the New Peter Mokaba Stadium was unavailable due to the Kaizer Chiefs’ CAF Confederation Cup match.

“So the game can’t be played a day before the CAF match. We couldn’t play in Gauteng because it is Orlando Pirates’ home province. That is the reason why we moved to Durban. We also had an option to go to Cape Town, but that is too far for our supporters.

“We are really sorry about the disappointment of taking the fixture to KZN. It was beyond our control and a situation that we were facing," he concluded.

Now, Pirates legend Edward Motale has claimed that TTM surrendered and handed his former side an easy pass to the Round of 16.

"I think TTM surrendered; they threw in the towel even before the game. As a club that is used to playing in small fields, I don't know what their purpose was behind throwing away their home advantage like that. Maybe they know better," Motale told KickOff.

"But I knew that this would give Pirates, who are more dangerous in an open field, an advantage, plus the support they enjoy in KZN would make TTM players feel even smaller.

"I'm not sure why TTM disadvantaged themselves like this. They already lost the match before it even started. The game was already finished, and Pirates had a free pass to the Last 16," he concluded.

The win against TTM kept Pirates' dream of winning a domestic quadruple alive.

The Buccaneers are chasing the PSL title as well as the Nedbank Cup after bagging the Carling Knockout and MTN8 titles already.