Pitso glad his son wasn’t in attendance at Loftus amid crowd violence
PITSO Mosimane spoke with a lump in his throat and a sombre, almost mournful-like tone, after Mamelodi Sundowns handed Orlando Pirates their heaviest defeat in the 6-0 drubbing at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Mosimane and the Brazilians were denied the opportunity to bask in their glory, sending a strong message to their rivals that they have what it takes to retain the PSL title they won last season.
Football and the scoreline be- came of secondary importance after angry Pirates’ fans stormed the pitch.
They started by throwing missiles, stripped the barrier that surrounds the pitch and even removed cables that resulted in the TV blackout.
They then stormed the field and tried to make their way to the changeroom, but a group of Sundowns fans stopped them as security guards were overwhelmed and led to a clash between the two sets of supporters.
The players dashed to safety before the violence broke out. A police Nyala had to be deployed to disperse the crowd, stun grenades were used and the events led to 13 fans being hospitalised.
“I have mixed emotions about the game,” Mosimane said.
“There is the good part and the unfortunate part. The last time me and my players ran to the changeroom was in Setif (against Algerian side ES Setif in the Caf Champions League). It’s unfortunate. Issues likes this shouldn’t be condoned. I usually bring my son to our games. Today (on Saturday) he didn’t come.
“I am happy that he didn’t come. He was watching on TV. They called me in the dressing (room) to ask if I was okay. We don’t want this. We bring children and women to the game. I have always called on Sundowns fans to fill the stadium but when you find things like this, we start from zero again in our attempts to get fans to come to the stadium.”
The match resumed after an almost hour-long delay. Sundowns’ players just went through the emotions in the last eight minutes with their hearts no longer there.
They still managed to keep a clean sheet. Their focus now shifts to Chippa United whom they visit tomorrow in East London. The Brazilians will return from the Eastern Cape to prepare for their clash with TP Mazembe on Saturday in the Caf Super Cup that pits last year’s winners of the Champions League and the Caf Confederation Cup.
These two games will test the Brazilians’ depth.
Mosimane has been preparing his players for what will be a gruelling campaign, slowly introducing players like Anele Ngcongca and Fares Hachi.
“What would have been ideal for me is to remove the Chippa game and then we have a nice good game against Mazembe with no excuses of travelling to East London,” Mosimane said. “But I think that Wits, Pirates, (Kaizer) Chiefs, Sundowns and SuperSport (United) shouldn’t complain about the schedule.
“We all made a statement that we have enough ammunition for continental and domestic football. So we shouldn’t complain. But there will be many, many changes against Chippa.”