Sundowns’ Mngqithi denies Mokoena and Mudau tension

Although Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi denied any form of tension with some of his star players, reiterating his stance on taking bold decisions if need be. 

Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau have surprisingly missed the Brazilians’ last two games following their return from Bafana Bafana where they both played in two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan.

ALSO READ: Sundowns’ Mngqithi – ‘I don’t listen to all the rubbish people say’

“The truth of the matter is that I didn’t see any tension and the fact that Teboho (Mokoena) was not playing and (Khuliso) Mudau was not playing and you knew (about it) is a bit of a surprise to me because we only made the team yesterday,” Mngqithi said about the pair’s exclusion from the matchday squad. 

“We must also show respect to the players that are performing at this point in time because sometimes we’re caught up in our private politics and that makes us ignore good performances and opportunities that are given to the other players. 

“If you think of a player like Rivaldo Coetzee, who has suffered so much with injuries, when he gets an opportunity and he performs the way he did, he deserves an opportunity. We probably have 40 players in the team and all of them are waiting for one opportunity just to get a chance.”

After highlighting the fact that both Mokoena and Mudau remain an integral part of his plans, Mngqithi revealed that he will not hesitate to act decisively if he feels that some of his big guns are not pulling their weight. 

“One thing you must know is that I’m very capable of taking decisions. If you can check some of the top players that were respected in my previous clubs, when I see that you’re no longer helping the club, I take the decision and I move and that helps me a lot,” Mngqithi cautioned.

“If you go back to my days at Golden Arrows and check what happened to some players that were influential in all those teams but when I feel that you are not helping the team I take a decision. One thing that’s good is that I’m a very good human being and I don’t hold grudges.

ALSO READ: Themba Zwane inspires Sundowns to derby win

“When you are ready to perform and give the team what it needs, I’ll always embrace you because I must be the bigger person and I must be a father to these kids. It’s like any other family, there will be good moments and bad moments.”