Mokwena disappointed by Erasmus’s reaction
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena described his team’s 4-0 win over Orlando Pirates in the Carling Black Label Cup final at the FNB Stadium on Saturday as bittersweet after he was involved in an exchange of words with his former player Kermit Erasmus.
Pirates lost defender Tapelo Xoki due to a red card after 21 minutes for an unsporting tackle on Haashim Domingo, and a heated verbal spat ensued between Bucs substitute Erasmus and Mokwena on the touchline.
Xoki’s dismissal proved to be the turning point of the match as the Brazilians went on to completely dominate Pirates, scoring goals through Sphelele Mkhulise, Grant Kekana and a brace from emerging attacker Cassius Mailula.
Asked about the spat with Erasmus, who left Chloorkop under a cloud in August, Mokwena said it was disappointing because it should have been clear to all that Xoki’s tackle on Domingo had been dangerous.
“I’m very disappointed because the tackle was not something you want to see from an opponent,” he said.
“Career-threatening situations like that shouldn’t be applauded; it was just a bit of a disappointment.
“I was disappointed at how he [Erasmus] spoke to me — I felt I didn’t deserve that and especially from him.
“Maybe that’s why I feel in this moment bittersweet, because I know what the club [Sundowns] has done for him and what I have personally done for him.
“I cannot sit here and speak about some of the things but it’s OK — I suppose that’s what life is about.
“We take it in on the chin and we move on.”
Mokwena said the extent of Domingo’s injury would be made known this week after further examinations by the medical team.
“No diagnosis has been made on Haashim Domingo at the moment — to respond on that would just be mere speculation on my part.
“The medical department will be on top of it.
“The good thing is we have a couple of weeks now where we can get some rest.
“We will come back and start preparing for the second part of the season.”
Sundowns reached the final with a 3-0 semifinal win against Amazulu in the morning, while Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs 6-5 on penalties.
The single-day friendly tournament preceded a seven-week domestic break for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena applauded his team for scooping their first-ever Carling Black Label Cup trophy, saying it was well deserved after the hard work they put in.
Sundowns won the “Beer” Cup in style by beating Orlando Pirates 4-0 in the final at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
A brace by Grant Kekana and goals from Siphelele Mkhukise and Cassius Mailula helped the Brazilians close the first half of the season on a high note.
A sleek and stylish Masadawana dominated throughout the game, depriving Pirates of chances at goal.
“Congratulations to Mamelodi Sundowns, the club in its entirety, they deserved the victory,” Mokwena said.
“I think there was a lot of hard work put in behind the scenes by everybody who was involved, from the senior management to the technical team and the Mamelodi Sundowns supporters because they put in a very strong line-up for the first match.
“Congratulations also to this awesome group of players who I cannot stop giving praise to because they just continue to go about their business with a lot of diligence, professionalism and honesty, and one cannot help but feel honoured to be their coach.”
In its 10th edition, the competition came back with a twist this year as four teams, voted for by the fans, competed for the crown, as opposed to the usual format of Chiefs vs Pirates.
Sundowns made their way to the final after beating Amazulu 3-0 in the opening fixture of the competition in the morning.
Meanwhile, penalties decided the semifinal between Chiefs and Pirates after the match ended in a goalless draw after 90 minutes later in the day. Pirates won the shootout 6-5.
Chiefs finished third after beating Amazulu 4-2 on penalties in their play-off.
For some time, Masadawana supporters have felt sidelined for not being part of the Carling Black Label Cup.
When asked to relate the club’s first experience of the competition, Mokwena said: “Well it’s just about the philosophy of the club.
“The mandate at Mamelodi Sundowns is to win every football match — friendly match, or cup match, you have to win.
“You have to win at training, your five-a-side matches.
“We woke up very early at 6.30am and had breakfast and left the hotel to come here. “We did all the due diligence. “We watched Amazulu’s three last games and even though we knew that the lineup was not necessarily the one the coach had played in the last three matches, there was a game against Stellenbosch which they won that was very similar to the profile of players that they had today.
“So we put in the hours and we worked on our analysis and ourselves.
“We spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to make sure that we could give the players as much information as we could. “We watched the Pirates against Kaizer Chiefs also with keen interest to try to pick up the strengths and weakness of both teams in preparing for the final.
“So, we not only were coming into it with the mandate and the expectation to win, because that is not only what the club expects from us but the supporters expect from us as well.”