Ramoreboli: 'Black magic' question was disrespectful

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Nov 29, 2023. 13:14

Jwaneng Galaxy head coach Morena Ramoreboli has spoken openly about being questioned whether black magic played a role in their shock 1-0 win over Wydad Casablanca on Saturday.

Ramoreboli’s side sent shockwaves across the continent when they claimed a historic victory over the three-time African champions in their CAF Champions League Group B opener in Marrakesh.

Galaxy had already caused a major upset in the competition by eliminating Orlando Pirates on penalties in the second qualifying round, but really announced themselves on the African stage with this latest triumph.

Ramoreboli immediately stood up and walked out of the post-match press conference after being asked by a journalist if the Botswana Premier League champions had resorted to the dark arts to beat Wydad.

The South African tactician has now opened up about the incident, telling Soccer Laduma: “To be honest, it was disrespectful, but at the same time you don’t control what people ask you and you don’t control what people think of you.

“Maybe they think we are from a small country and we can’t win against them and maybe we are from a country that is not known for doing well in football. But let’s be honest, I think that was really disrespectful.

“But they should understand that seasons change and when seasons change, there are people who are coming in and there are people who will do better than you. If you don’t adapt and adjust to the changes, you are going to have a serious problem.

“They did not give us the respect we deserve as a team. How can we be in the Champions League group stage and think that you are just going to win matches? But it’s okay.

“We have accepted that not everybody will respect you. You don’t have to be emotional about it. What’s important is for us to do our job and concentrate on being better.

“I think we are becoming better as a team and Botswana as a nation is benefiting a lot from us. We are a hope to the upcoming generation because they can see that it’s possible to go out there and defeat the best.

“As much as we get those insults, it’s okay with us. We just have to focus on doing the job. We are not going to control how people feel about us.”