On Sundowns' CAF Champions Exit
It's very sad that Mamelodi Sundowns were knocked out of the CAF Champions League after playing to a 2-2 draw against Wydad Casablanca. I've heard a lot of people saying that Wydad eliminated Sundowns because of experience and I don't agree with that because Sundowns have been playing this competition for more than 13 years. I just think that when Sundowns scored the second goal, they were supposed to make substitutions. There were players that were supposed to play but did not play. Somebody was needed to kill the game and Andile Jali could have played an important role on the day. Grant Kekana should have been brought on after Peter Shalulile scored the second goal. Gaston Sirino should have played an important role in that match, that is just my feeling. The players lost, they cried and showed that they value the CAF Champions League, but at the end of the day, there must never be any fingers pointed at the players. The leadership – meaning the technical staff – should take the blame for losing the game. There were seven minutes remaining and when the own goal was scored, they pushed too high. It was an unfortunate situation and Mothobi Mvala did not score the own goal deliberately. No player wants to score against his own team. His body positioning was not in a position where he could take the ball out. I'm not sure what happened with communication between him and Ronwen Williams because I could see that the ball was going to the keeper's hands. But football is a game of mistakes. If football did not have mistakes, it would not be interesting. The reason why we enjoy football, it is because of mistakes. If players were not able to make mistakes, we were always going to see draws. For us to see goals, there must be mistakes done on the day. Unfortunately, it happened on the day we hoped, as Sundowns legends, that we were going to have the team in the third CAF Champions League final. It's unfortunate. The technical team did not point fingers at any player, but as an individual, I still feel that there were players that were supposed to play on the day that were never played.
On Who Was Supposed To Make An Appearance
Jali is an arrogant player and he is a player that is not scared to make mistakes. He is very confident. And when you watch Sundowns play, he dictates the game, he calls the shots. And just like Themba Zwane, he is very comfortable on the ball. I don't know why they are not playing Sirino because he has never had a bad game. Why would you leave Sirino out in the semi-final of the CAF Champions League? Sometimes as a coach, you can prefer a player that is not better than the player you are leaving out of the game. You can prefer a player because of a character, but somewhere, somehow, it will get to a point whereby that player will get exposed and people will start telling you that, you could have played this player or why didn't you play him? These people are employed to coach Sundowns and as outsiders, we can say whatever we want to say. But I'm still saying that there were players that were supposed to be played and were never played. There were substitutions that were meant to be made that were not made. Delaying time is what should have happened as well. Look at how the own goal was scored, it was a set-piece and the player was not in a position to defend the ball – everyone was running towards the ball. But at the end of the day, we lost as a team, we are not pointing fingers at any individuals. We could have had Kekana. Jali and Sirino could have played a meaningful role on that day. The team has been doing well with other players they have been using, but there are bigger games that need to be carried by certain players. Zwane can carry the team, but he needed someone that would help him on the day.
On The Criticism Mvala Has Been Getting After Own Goal
When Sundowns drew 0-0 in the first leg, that was a risky scoreline. If they had drawn the match 1-1 in Casablanca, it could have been better. But that team did not concede at home. In my own perspective, if Jali, Sirino and Kekana had played, it could have been different. After Sundowns scored the second goal, they could have brought in another defender or defensive midfielder. No matter how good Sundowns is at keeping the ball, those were last minutes and they had to defend. Sundowns lost, so we have to accept it. But the insults that Mvala has been getting on social media are unfair and ridiculous. Personally, I never scored an own goal, but there were mistakes that I also made. The own goal was not intentional, it was not deliberate. The people who are insulting Mvala, they even call him "Mvaladinho". If you are a true fan and you really support Mamelodi Sundowns, you cannot be insulting a player like that. Mvala has kids and family and those who are insulting him are not Sundowns fans. I saw positive messages from some fans who said, "We are all together in this mess and it was not meant to happen." At the end of the day, football is a game of mistakes and to insult a player like that is uncalled for. But looking forward to the next season, we all know that all seasons are not the same. We don't know the plans of Sundowns for next season in terms of who are they signing, but I think they should go more for international players. I'm not sure if Jali is going or staying with the team, but we need someone like him. I'm not his fan, but when I look at him playing and making Sundowns play, it's a great thing.
