TS Galaxy boss Sead Ramovic insists his side deserve their place in the semi-finals of the Carling Knockout Cup.
The Rockets overcame Sekhukhune United on penalties in their quarter-final clash having also made it past Mamelodi Sundowns on penalties in the first round of the competition.
Only AmaZulu stand in their way of a final appearance, where the could ultimately face one of Richards Bay or Stellenbosch, who are competing in the other semi-final.
Ramovic slammed Sundowns boss Rulani Mokwena ahead of the tie for suggesting that Galaxy only beat his team because they played a weakened side due to their involvement in a number of other competitions and as a result of having players involved with Bafana at the time.
Ahead of the weekend’s game, Ramovic said in the Sowetan: “I don’t want to find excuses like other coaches do, for example when we beat Sundowns, what were the excuses of our opponent?.
“They said they didn’t play seven players (who were with Bafana). How is this respect for the players who played? You have a player you bought for R60 million, (Marcelo) Allende. Then you bought (Junior) Mendieta for R12 million, then you have (Bongani) Zungu and a lot of other national team players. And you come up with this excuse?
“It disrespects my staff, my players and myself. I think a strong coach does not find an excuse, ‘fantastic job, Galaxy, fantastic game plan, you beat us’ and he shows respect.
“He is also disrespecting his own team and his own players, if he says he cannot win with the players he has. I think the team that played against us can win the league.”