Give Gabuza a break, urges Tembo

SuperSport United’s in-form striker Thamsanqa Gabuza (right) has been receiving abuse from opposition supporters, while defenders, paying special attention to him too.

Unlike at Orlando Pirates, where his own fans booed him at times, these boos from opposition fans are an indication of just how well Gabuza is doing in a Matsatsantsa shirt.

Gabuza’s coach Kaitano Tembo, however, has urged opposition fans to stop the booing, even though he believes Gabuza is mentally tough enough.

“I think Gabuza is beyond that but at the same time it is about us being humans because we go to the stadiums to play the game and supporters to watch the game so we expect people to be professional. It must not get personal,” said Tembo.

“When it gets personal then we have to look deeper and see where does it come from. I don’t know if I am putting it correctly but you don’t attack someone like that because it is not fair. At the end of the day we are human beings, we have got to show that side of us. It might be about the three points but at the same time the game will finish and we should be able to be human and still talk and greet each other,” he added.

SuperSport will play Golden Arrows in a Telkom Knockout quarterfinal tomorrow, off the back of a 1-1 Absa Premiership draw with Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday night, where Tembo says he was impressed by his side’s display in front of the intimidating Siwelele crowd at the Dr Molemela Stadium.

“We dominated the game from the start but we missed clear-cut opportunities,” he added.