Jali’s Downs days numbered?
Mamelodi Sundowns’ influential and experienced midfielder, Andile Jali’s days at the Chloorkop-based club could be numbered if the rumour doing the rounds is anything to go by! The 32-year-old midfield maestro is in the last six months of his contract with the 12-time league-winning Brazilians and has lost his place as a starter in the team, while he is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal with his contract reaching its expiry in a couple of months’ time.
Having joined Sundowns almost five years ago, from Belgian side K.V Oostende, Jali’s move was met with mixed emotions, with some predicting another failed signing by the Patrice Motsepeowned club, while others were optimistic about the then Bafana Bafana instrumental player’s chances of resurrecting his career and continuing from where he had left off in the domestic league, playing for Orlando Pirates. The Matatieleborn midfielder proved all the critics wrong, notwithstanding his slow start to his Downs career due to injury and finding his feet at his new home. Now, Jali is undoubtedly one of the most successful signings at Chloorkop in the last decade. Once AJ hit the ground running, he never looked back and that’s exactly why his contractual situation at the runaway log leaders has raised eyebrows because, ordinarily, this is a player whose contract would be a top priority. A player the team wouldn’t even want to give a chance for advances from anyone to. However, as things stand, Jali continues to be ‘rested’ as he makes the matchday squad but has found it hard to break into the starting line-up, except for the last three matches where he was thrown a lifeline by coach Rhulani Mokwena.
It became even more interesting when coach Mokwena became the sole head coach and was quizzed about the former Bucs midfielder’s situation at the club. The young tactician gave a calculated answer to the question when he sang praises of his player and even went on to highlight his importance in the team, starting from the bench as his ‘third assistant coach’ and talking about the incredible human being that Jali is in the team. As good a review as coach Mokwena gave of one of his charges, Jali’s place is on the field of play and not just being a positive influence and giving football insights and match analysis on the bench, at least not yet. He is expected to form an important part of the team on the field of play until he calls it a day on his career. Jali has only managed to enjoy a bit-part role since coach Rhulani took charge of the team. In total, he boasts eight league starts and coming off the bench four times so far this campaign.
With injuries a thing of the past in his game, not seeing Jali on the field as regularly as he was last campaign makes people to start wondering whether his Downs days are numbered? Could this be the sign of a team that is preparing for life without one of the household names who has become a fan-favourite in the star-studded Brazilians’ squad? That midfield has been marshalled by Teboho Mokoena, who has enjoyed the most minutes in the Sundowns team so far this season, especially after Ronwen Williams was given a breather against TS Galaxy last week. The former SuperSport United duo, until that game, had played every minute for the Tshwane-based side so far this season. Mokoena is younger than Jali and his form has been remarkable since joining from their crosstown rivals. Another move that was met with scepticism but proved to be one of the masterstrokes by Sundowns. Everyone knows how tough competition is in that Downs team and that Jali has been ‘rested’ for so long lends credence, to a certain extent, to all the conspiracy theories that have been thrown around about his future at the club. His business manager, Mike Makaab, also put the cat among the pigeons when he made it clear that if Sundowns don’t want Jali anymore, they must just let them know so that they can move on. A loaded remark, one would say, because if anyone should provide clarity on AJ’s future, it should be his agent. That even Makaab wasn’t sure whether they were coming or going should be a cause for concern. Could it be that Andile will not be wearing the Brazilians’ jersey next season or the two parties are just taking their own time, running their race at their own pace, as far as the renewal of his contract is concerned? Could it be that they feel they trust one another enough not to worry about those who are rumoured to be monitoring his situation closely? Once again, Jali is a big player and you’d expect to see his business handled and concluded way before reaching the last six months of his contract.
A player like Jali shouldn’t even get to the last six months of his contract without a new deal having been finalised, if his club is really keen on retaining his services. A player of his quality and stature should know where he stands with the club. Sundowns are also not known to be last-minute people when it comes to contracts. Word has been that the club would be ‘making an announcement’ on Jali’s situation as it was a matter dealt with at management level, completely outside of the technical team’s scope. We’ve been waiting since towards the end of last year for that announcement to come from the club, but nothing has happened yet. This doesn’t help his cause at all because, if anything, it has thrown a spanner in the works and intensified the rumour mill about Jali’s future at the club. Just recently, coach Mokwena made it clear that as the technical team, they definitely want to keep Jali in the team. So, surely that will be good news for AJ because, at the end of the day, it is the technical team’s prerogative to decide whether to keep or offload. Surely hearing the head coach saying they want to keep him will be music to his ears and the fact that he’s been getting minutes under his belt could be seen as a statement of intent. However, stranger things have happened in the Beautiful Game and, until Jali signs on the dotted line, speculation will continue to follow his name. People will just not stop predicting his next move, all eyes will be on Downs and AJ!