Rulani Mokwena has refused to condemn Mamelodi Sundowns duo Andile Jali and Sipho Mbule after making unwanted headlines for alleged transgressions in recent days.
Jali was again a notable absentee in Sunday’s draw away at Stellenbosch FC while Mbule was off the pace and struggled after being introduced as a substitute after not being involved in the last four games.
READ | Rulani responds to reports of escalating Sundowns crisis
Just like had been the case in midweek after news of matters relating to Jali and and Mbule broke out [emerged], Mokwena was again asked about the pair.
"So, what I said in the last press conference, I said if you are looking for negatives about my players, you won’t find. You won’t find it," stated Mokwena again.
"I have two responsibilities.
"The first responsibility I have for the club, to protect Mamelodi Sundowns. Number one.
"Number two. I have to protect my players.
"I have that, and that is, those are the two very important responsibilities.
"What I will say, and I will say this in a coach-less situation.
"Before I'm a coach, I’m a human being and before they are players, they are human beings.
"And so, we have to be very, very careful sometimes not to go in the side where we affect the person only because we are targeting the profession. It is very important.
"And I don’t want to go into too much detail into it because at the end of the day, things happened in the club are for the football club to deal with.
"And there are so many internal things that happen at every single football club and it becomes very important for the football club to protect not just the professionals, including myself, but also the human being because like in corporations, and like in every other job, no one is prefect.
"And so that imperfection must come with also the acceptance that people will have my back and people will have in my moments where I act as a human being, I have more weaknesses than strengths, I have more mistakes than good moments.
"In those moments, I have to know and that is where I am, that I am there for the players.
"But it will never be at the expense of the football club, no chance," says Mokwena.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
Click here to register: https://www.snl24.com/auth/signin
