On April 20, 2024, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Amazulu FC coach Pablo Franco Martin was involved in the DStv Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu FC at Orlando Stadium. The match saw the visitors reduced to ten men after 20 minutes, following a red card shown to Abbubaker Mobara for a tackle on Patrick Maswanganyi. Martin had been vocal about the refereeing in the past, but did not want to discuss it after this match. However, he expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to compete against Orlando Pirates.
Martin expressed frustration with Orlando Pirates’ behavior, noting their time-wasting and only scoring when playing against nine men. He criticized their conduct when a player was on the ground, claiming that they pressed for an advantage even after Amazulu FC had taken the ball out following an injury. Despite these frustrations, Martin emphasized that his team had started the game strongly and had many chances to score, but a critical incident changed the course of the game. Despite the setback, Martin pointed out that his team had controlled Orlando Pirates well, even with fewer players, and had numerous chances to score.
The Spanish coach expressed disappointment at the outcome of the match but acknowledged the resilience and effort of his team.