Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi said Golden Arrows ‘are still a very dangerous team in transitions’. Photo: BackpagePix
MAMELODI Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has called on Hugo Broos to stick to his lane, but at the same time extended an invitation to the Bafana Bafana technical head for a conversation.
Speaking at the pre-Carling Knockout Cup first round press conference in Johannesburg yesterday, Mngqithi had to respond to questions about what the Belgian had said with regards to Sundowns players Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau.
The duo had been iced at Sundowns recently, and Broos said in the build-up to the Africa Cup of Nations back-to-back qualifiers against Congo Brazzaville that he did not understand why such quality players were not being used.
Mngqithi clearly did not take kindly to that, and duly took the opportunity yesterday to address the silver-haired coach.
“He must manage his house and allow me to manage my house because nobody tells him who to play in his team – and I cannot be expected to be told by another coach who to play in my team,” he said.
“The truth is we all know the quality of the players, and they are going to help us.
“We don’t have any problems with them and we have resolved whatever minor issues we might have had, but each man for his own family – we must take care of our spaces,” Mngqithi explained, before taking a subtle dig at Broos.
“Nobody says anything when he plays eight defenders. We keep quiet, because it is his choice and I respect him.
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— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) October 17, 2024
“I respect him as a coach. He has done very well for the country... everyone was excited that he got a bronze.
“So, he must understand that we have a responsibility to manage our own squads, just like he is managing his own squad.”
The Sundowns mentor then took a conciliatory stance.
“The best thing that could ever happen is for him to call me or for us to have a phone call where we will talk about our situations, because I never say ‘Why you select that player, you don’t select that player’, and I don’t expect another coach to do that.
“Maybe administrators have got a bit of a right to say that. But with the respect that I have for him, I am sure he will give me a call and we will discuss this thing as coaches.
“No one is bigger than anyone else... we are both coaches.”
Switching to his team’s clash against Golden Arrows in the Carling Knockout tomorrow at Lucas Moripe Stadium (6pm kick-off), Mngqithi spoke highly of his former club.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Golden Arrows… They are an extension of my family because they are the ones who gave me the first opportunity to coach at the highest level, and I will always feel indebted to them because they contributed so much to my life and my family.
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— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) October 16, 2024
“But be that as it may, we have a responsibility to play a very crucial match.
“They may not have had consistent performances, just like us. But they are still a very dangerous team in transitions.”
He says his club will be sparing nothing to ensure they win the Carling Knockout.
“As Sundowns, we play every match to win it. So, it means every competition that we go for is because we want to win it.
“With us we want to win every match, we want to win every trophy on offer.
“Yes, some sometimes we fall short in cup competitions.
“Last season, we missed out on the Carling, and we want to try and give it a go and see what we can get.
“We will do our level best to win it. It is not going to be easy because the PSL has improved in leaps and bounds in terms of competition.”