Maritzburg United head coach Eric Tinkler has lashed out at the media for causing problems in his squad with unfair criticisms.
Tinkler was agitated by the way the media reported on his team ahead of one of their most important fixtures in recent years, the Telkom Knockout final against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
The Team of Choice have an opportunity to win their first major title and Tinkler has not taken kindly to the media’s build-up to the game.
“The press does not help… the press will have a newspaper report saying ‘fatigue’ and that rubs off on the players. ‘Under pressure… three cup finals [he’s been to as a coach]’, this is what I read in the newspapers and I am confused because we’ve been doing well and I am saying ‘well done’ to my players,” said Tinkler, according to Sowetan Live.
“In our last eight games we’ve accumulated 15 points… if you accumulate that at the beginning of the season and throughout the season, you’re looking to win the title, but the media says we are under pressure.
“You got all these newspaper reports speaking about pressure, that goes to the players, so I’m always having to go and fix, fix, fix.
“It shouldn’t happen because ultimately I don’t think it’s right… to be brutally honest, I don’t think it’s right to criticise the team.”