Mokwena-Ramović feud spices up Sundowns-Galaxy

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena’s feud with TS Galaxy counterpart Sead Ramović adds spice to the teams’ Premier Soccer League (PSL) meeting at Mbombela Stadium on Wednesday (7.30pm).

The war of words between the two erupted again in the past fortnight, when Mokwena, after being asked a question in a press conference about his relationship with Hugo Broos, said he called the Bafana coach and Ramović about separate comments his counterparts made about him and they apologised. Mokwena was referring to statements made by Ramović in November.

Ramović, who is also temperamental and earlier displayed a penchant for picking unwise fights when he had a “twar” in 2023 with Pitso Mosimane over Sibusiso Vilakazi, arrived at the Nedbank press conference the next day and used the F-word when giving details of a call he allegedly received from Mokwena. The Galaxy boss denied apologising to Mokwena and alleged Broos informed him he never apologised to the Downs boss.

Last week Mokwena responded by saying Ramović “wants attention”.

Sundowns clinched top place in the Caf Champions League’s Group A with a 1-0 win over TP Mazembe at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.

Afterwards Mokwena was asked about coaches, including Pablo Franco Martin (AmaZulu), Steve Barker (Stellenbosch FC) and Mazembe’s Lamine N’Diaye, saying in recent weeks that the Brazilians might be the best club in Africa.

His answer seemed another barbed response to his critics, indicating he thrives on disapproval.

“I get very worried. I’m not used to love and praise. I said to the players, ‘be careful of praise, it’s like being fed honey with a knife’,” Mokwena said.

“I look around once people start to praise me because before they will kill you they will pat you. I’d rather have people who come straight and show me they hate me and hate the team than they praise me. That is much better.

“The praise sometimes puts you in a false sense of [confidence] and then you believe your hype too much, so I don’t listen to it too much. I prefer the hate and the criticism because it drives me. But I appreciate it [the compliments] and we accept it with a lot of humility. But not too much of it because it’s very dangerous.”

Sundowns, despite a frenetic programme that sees the inaugural African Football League champions competing in six competitions in 2023/24, are running away with the PSL with an 11-point lead over secondplaced Cape Town City, with two games in hand.

The six-time successive league champions have 42 points from 16 undefeated matches (13 wins and three draws).

Galaxy are in seventh place on 24 points from 17 games (seven wins, three draws and seven defeats).