Kaizer Chiefs' Ntwari defended, critics told off - 'Fiacre didn't do it out of disrespect! We shouldn’t look at small negatives'

Fiacre Ntwari has invited a lot of criticism, both positive and negative, from all quarters in Mzansi, owing to what he did on Sunday in the Carling Knockout outing.

The Rwanda international refused to be replaced by Bruce Bvuma prior to the shootout.

The Soweto giants went on to lose 5-4 to crash out of the annual competition.

Rwanda coach Adel Amrouche has revealed he immediately contacted the goalkeeper and the coaches at Amakhosi after the incident.

He argues there was no malice intended by the 26-year-old by refusing to get off the pitch.

Amrouche has further stated it was the hunger to deliver that pushed Ntwari to decide to continue in goal as opposed to giving Bruce Bvuma a chance.

“The first thing I did was speak with the goalkeeper coach [Ilyes Mzoughi] because I was following the game closely,” the Rwanda coach told Soccer Laduma.

“I also spoke with Fiacre, as I always do before and after his matches. He didn’t do it out of disrespect – not towards the coach or anyone. He was simply in his game, in that moment.

“He’s not Superman; he can’t save every penalty. I’m not saying he was right, but I understand him,” Amrouche continued.

“Footballers are human beings; not robots. They act with emotion. I spoke with the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper coach afterwards, and he was very professional about it. He also used to be a goalkeeper, so he understood.

“I called the coach to say sorry, that my goalkeeper is not a bad person. He told me, ‘Coach, it’s okay – I took it positively.’ That’s the kind of respect we have. We’re all here to build.

“After being on the bench for so long, he came back, kept a clean sheet, and gave his team a mental advantage by saving the first penalty. That’s the most important one – it gives confidence to the others. We shouldn’t look at small negatives. The important thing is he performed well," he concluded.

Club's assistant coach Cedric Kaze stated the incident will be reviewed internally in the next couple of days.

Regardless of the outcome, the management has to decide who takes over from Nasreddine Nabi.