The uncertainty around Andile Jali’s future with Mamelodi Sundowns looks to have left him bruised and seems to have gotten the better of him recently, according to iDiski Times sources.
Jali is believed to be frustrated at Sundowns and that is due to the lack of game time, hence it is why the player has allegedly been misbehaving of late. According to a few sources, this is a ploy to be fired by the club’s internal Disciplinary Committee.
This week reports in local media have been awash that Jali and Sipho Mbule allegedly arrived at the club’s training-base camp under the influence of alcohol, making the former’s stay beyond this term unlikely, as coach Rulani Mokwena has time and time again put forward the discipline factor on his players.
Jali, who joined Sundowns from KV Oostende in Belgium in the 2018/19 season, will see his contract with the club expire in July this year. However, Sundowns and his agent Mike Makaab are going back and forth in the negotiations to agree on new terms, but things look to be far apart between the two parties at this moment in time.
Mokwena did not want to get involved on where the two parties are ahead of his side facing Marumo Gallants in the Nedbank Cup last -16 at Toyota Stadium later today (18:00).
“I don’t want to get too much into that space because it’s quite polluted with – as you said – ‘he said, she said’ type of stuff,” said Mokwena.
“So, I’d rather not comment on it because I have spoken extensively about it already in the past and to avoid being misquoted…I’d rather not comment on the situation.”
Jali’s demise this season comes as a surprise for a player who was outstanding last term for Sundowns, featuring in 35 matches in all competitions, scoring just one goal, as Sundowns coasted to the treble.
He was impressive in playing between the two center-backs to make it as a decoy of three, in what was a ploy to draw opponents out of their half low-block and then hit them on the counterattack by going central, or both sides in those spaces left.
As he perfected that, at the end of the season, Jali was named Midfielder of the Season, MTN8 Last Man Standing, and also Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament.
However, this campaign he has not been able to replicate that form, starting just 12 league matches – two in the MTN8 and one in the Nedbank Cup.
In the CAF Champions League, where Sundowns are on top of their group, Jali has not played, though he has been on the bench three times, with the arrivals of Teboho Mokoena, Marcello Allende, Sipho Mbule and Bongani Zungu adding a lot of competition in the central midfield positions.
Jali’s situation at Sundowns is being monitored by a whole host of clubs – Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu, and Cape Town City.
Makaab and Sundowns General Manager Yogesh Singh weren’t available to answer calls about the situation at the time of publishing.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
