Mamelodi Sundowns Coach Rhulani Mokwena has praised his counterpart, Kaizer Chiefs’ interim coach Cavin Johnson, ahead of their league match on Wednesday, (2 May 2024), at FNB Stadium.
Speaking about coach Johnson at a pre-match presser Mokwena said: “I think he is an incredible human being and is someone I always wish well for”.
The Sundowns coach’s comments were in stark contrast to what he said about TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic, whom he accused of instructing his players to hurt Bongani Zungu.
In their previous encounter in October last year, Zungu’s tackle on TS Galaxy veteran striker Bernard Parker was so bad the player had to be carried off the field on a stretcher and taken to hospital with a broken leg.
This time around in the match between TS Galaxy and Sundowns it was Zungu who was at the receiving end of a crunching tackle that saw him leave the field of play crocked.
In a post-match interview, after their 3-0 drubbing of TS Galaxy on Monday, Sundowns coach Mokwena was less than complimentary about their vanquished opponents tackling.
“I’m disappointed with the tackle on Bongani Zungu, very disappointed,” Mokwena said.
“Because I was told already last night that the coach of the opposition showed that tackle that Bongani Zungu did on Bernard Parker and said, ‘Don’t forget what Bongani Zungu did’.”
The comments added to the already frosty relations between the Sundowns coach and TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic.
On Tuesday, TS Galaxy responded in an official statement lambasting Mokwena whom they accused of defaming the entire club.
“The impugning statements were clearly made publicly with malice and intention to defame our entire club,” TS Galaxy said.
“Furthermore, the impugning statements were intended at exposing our head coach, players technical team, staff, and management to the risk of public violence,” reads the Galaxy statement.
TS Galaxy warned Mokwena of possible legal action if the Sundowns coach fails to “prove his claims in 24 hours”.
