Pitso plays it cool on Zungu
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has surprisingly taken a soft and conciliatory stance in response to perceived disrespectful social media comments that were made by his former midfielder‚ Bongani Zungu‚ this week.
Zungu suggested on Twitter that former Downs assistantcoach Rulani Mokwena has made his current team Orlando Pirates a top combination again‚ neglecting to give credit to Buccaneers head coach Milutin Sredojevic.
The Amiens SC and Bafana Bafana midfielder also suggested it was the same situation while he was at Sundowns‚ where Zungu won the 2015-16 Absa Premiership title under head coach Mosimane‚ earning a transfer to Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraes.
Zungu later apologised for the comments directed at Sredojevic. However, he did not include what he had said regarding Mosimane in his apology.
Mosimane was asked to comment on the issue after Sundowns’ 3-1 win over Free State Stars on Wednesday. Downs’ coach said he wanted to focus on the positives and to stay with the good memories he enjoyed with Zungu and Mokwena.
“He [Zungu] is my boy – I have good memories with him and I don’t want to spoil that‚” said Mosimane.
“If he did put those tweets‚ he made a mistake and maybe he was under pressure. We all make mistakes – do you know how many mistakes I have made?
“We need to support and help – it’s okay.”
Mosimane said that he believed someone else had written Zungu’s apology.
“In my opinion‚ I don’t think Bongani Zungu wrote that apology – he does not respond with that type of big English.
“They read the apology to me and the article commanded very good English. Even myself I don’t speak English that well.
“I know my players, man. You must read what’s not written and see what is not said.”
Mosimane has been credited with much of the responsibility for an improvement in Zungu’s game that saw the player move to and succeed in Europe.
“I prepared him to go and play in Europe. He was playing as a winger at Tuks [University of Pretoria FC] and I changed his position because he does not have speed to play that position in Europe‚” said Mosimane.
“I told Zungu you are not too fast‚ you are not a number 10 and you don’t score enough goals. I went to Duduza on a Sunday looking for him in the whole township and I swapped him with Buhle Mkhwanazi to Tuks.
“That’s where I want to focus on – he is a multimillionaire in Euros now and his life and that of his family has changed for the better.”
In my opinion‚I don’t think Bongani Zungu wrote that apology