Augusto Palacios returned to the Orlando Pirates training ground yesterday, a day after the club's fans rioted in Pretoria, apparently in protest against his regime.

Pirates were handed a 6-0 humiliation by Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld, prompting some Bucs fans to forcibly go over the barriers at the stadium and trigger a violent spree which also involved Sundowns fans.

But Palacios insisted yesterday "these things happen in football" in reference to Pirates' biggest defeat in history, and defended his tactics, wildly blamed for the heavy loss which left Bucs languishing closer to the relegation positions.

"I'm hurting badly," the Pirates caretaker coach told Sowetan. "I could not even go out of my house, but I had to go to training [yesterday] to do recovery with the players.

"Those who didn't play also had a training match. But I will continue my duties until I'm told to stop by management.

"I have been at this club for 22 years, and if the chairman [Irvin Khoza] comes to me and says he has found a coach, fine, I will step aside.

"But for now I can't do that. I have to be a soldier because I love this club. I cannot throw in the towel. I'm not a weak person. As the head coach I accept all responsibility for what went wrong."

Palacios did not return for the final eight minutes of Saturday's match following the more than an hour-long pandemonium, saying he did so at a doctor's orders.

"The doctor said to me, 'it's only eight minutes, take a break and recover'. I was badly affected because in my entire coaching career I have never suffered such a defeat. But this is football."

Questioned on his team selection, where he played new signings Marc van Heerden and James Okwuosa in defence, Palacios insisted he did nothing wrong.

"Marc and James played together at Chippa [United]. They know each other. Marc is a natural left-back and we moved Thabo Matlaba to the right. James is an international, experienced defender.

"The reality is, had we converted the chances we had in the opening 20 minutes, no one would be asking these questions.

"We had an open chance in the first minute and wasted it. I don't want to blame anyone, but there's little a coach can do when such things happen."

Palacios urged his side to bounce back when they host Bidvest Wits on Wednesday, although his future could be clarified when Pirates hold a media conference this morning.

"We can't keep our heads down.

"We have to show character against Wits."