After being kicked out of the CAF Champions League by Orlando Pirates on Sunday, CR Belouizdad coach Abdelkader Amrani admitted that his side were beaten fairly but pointed to other factors contributing to the defeat.
The Algerian tactician shared his frustration following his side's 2-1 defeat to Orlando Pirates on Sunday, a result that saw the Algerian club eliminated from the group stage of the continental competition.
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Despite acknowledging Pirates' victory as fair, Amrani did not hold back in criticising the officiating.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the head coach laid much of the blame on the refereeing team for what he felt were glaring oversights that influenced the outcome.
"I am sorry for the refereeing, I must say this truth. Today there were many mistakes, as well as unsportsmanlike interventions from the opposing players, and the referee did not take any action regarding them," he said per Awras, as translated from arabic to english.
The Belouizdad boss also pointed to time-wasting tactics employed by the Buccaneers, which he felt were ignored by the officials.
"The opposing team was wasting time deliberately, sometimes for up to two minutes, and the referee did not react to that, nor did he show any yellow cards. Even the ball boys were wasting time without any intervention from the fourth official," he added.
"These matters greatly affected the morale of the Chabab Belouizdad players, and made me feel regretful," the tactician explained.
However, he conceded that the South African side's performance deserved credit.
"In football, there is a sports charter. They came to our stadium and won in a fair way, but in today's match, the refereeing had a clear impact on the morale of the players."
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With one match remaining against Stade d'Abidjan next Saturday, Belouizdad's CAF Champions League campaign has come to an early end.