Minutes before Mamelodi Sundowns took on Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Stadium, the reigning DStv Premier League champions announced the return of midfielder Bongani Zunga in front of over 45,000 fans.
It signals the club’s intent, but also raises concerns that Downs have too many players in the same position.
However, second coach Rulani Mokwena says the team’s harmony remains intact.
“This is not our job – our task is to put a winning team on the field. I think the players who play for Sundowns are at Sundowns because they want to be here – we don’t want to keep players who don’t want to be here, as long as everyone feels they want to be here, they compete, they fight and then the responsibility of every professional footballer is to try to make sure you are as professional as possible with your behavior and ability to still be part of the club set-up,” said Mokwena.
Mokwena adds that the type of players recruited by the club are capable of fighting for their places even if a marquee like Zungu comes along.
Andile Jali, Sipho Mbule, Teboha Makoena, Motobi Mwala and Rivalda Coetzee are some of the heavy artillery in Chlorkope.
“The good thing is that profiling also helps you to know that you are recruiting not only in relation to the technical qualities of the players, but you are also recruiting according to the personality and the human qualities and values that the players have so that they can be integrated into the group, so that the team is much more important than any individual and at the moment we have a very good team with a lot of very good players who are now taking it upon themselves to fight against each other for a place to play,” Mokwena added.
Downs’ technical team will have some selection headaches, although Mokwena insists they will be fair in their decisions as the players work through them.
Mokwena says getting Zunga, who left French side Amiens SC in May, to return to Sundowns was “difficult”.
“I want to give a big congratulations to the club, sporting director Fleming, club president, club chairman, management for a lot of hard work behind the scenes – a difficult deal, a very difficult deal. It took a very long time (with) a lot of problems. I also want to thank Bongani for his patience and trust because he had other offers and Bongani decided to come to us and he was very patient.” concluded Mokwena.
Posted by Mazola Molefe
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