Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has responded to questions whether Andile Jali and Sipho Mbule arrived at training under the influence of alcohol.
Masandawana’s 15-match winning came to and end on Sunday, as Sundowns dropped two points at Stellenbosch FC.
Mokwena’s team came into the game after extensive travels to Egypt and Cameroon, as well as a 3-1 win over Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
However, despite their impressive form leading up to Sunday’s game, there was also a lot of noise around his squad, with reports in local media alleging that Jali and Mbule arrived at training under the influence of alcohol.
Mokwena, who had already discussed the topic after Thursday’s game, has now again insisted it is his job to protect the club and the players.
“So what I said in the last press conference, I said, if you’re looking for negatives about my players, you won’t find [it from me],” he said, when directly quizzed about the rumours around Jali and Mbule, with the latter coming on as a late sub at Stellies, while Jali wasn’t part of the squad.
“I have two responsibilities: The first responsibility I have for the club, to protect Mamelodi Sundowns. Number one.
“Number two, I have to protect my players. I have that, and those are two very important responsibilities.
“What I will say, and I will say this in a coach-less situation. Before, I’m a coach, I’m a human being. And before they are players, they are human beings.
“And so we have to be very, very careful sometimes not to go in the side where we affect the person only because we are targeting the professional. It’s very important.
“And I don’t want to go into too much detail into it, because at the end of the day, things that happened in the club, are for the football club to deal with. And there are so many internal things that happen at every single Football Club.
“And it becomes very important for the football club to protect not just the professionals, including myself, but also the human being. Because like in corporates, and like in every other job, no one’s perfect.
“And so that imperfection must come with also the acceptance that people will have my back. And people will have in my moments where I act as a human being where I have more weaknesses than strengths, I have more mistakes than good moments.
“In those moments, I have to know and that’s where I am, that I am there for the players. But it will never be at the expense of the football club, no chance.”
Sundowns now turn their attention back to CAF Champions League football and will host record champions Al Ahly in Pretoria next week Saturday.
