Mngqithi Slams Sundowns’ Foreign Player Focus
Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has expressed strong concern over Mamelodi Sundowns’ shift in recruitment strategy, arguing that the club’s prioritization of foreign signings is negatively affecting the Bafana Bafana.
However, Mngqithi said he understands why Sundowns have adopted this approach, noting that when you lose a quality player like Lucas Ribeiro Costa, you are forced to sign two top-level players because the Brazilian was “a magician.”
He revealed that during his time at Sundowns, the priority was always to sign local players, as this ensured strong national-team representation — as was the case at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, where Bafana Bafana claimed bronze for the first time in 24 years.
In that Bafana squad, Sundowns were hugely represented with Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena, Mothobi Mvala, Grant Kekana, Khuliso Mudau, Thapelo Morena, Thapelo Maseko, Terrence Mashego, Aubrey Modiba, Themba Zwane,
For the upcoming AFCON, Sundowns have only five players in the squad: Williams, Mudau, Bathusi Aubaas, Mokoena and Modiba.
In contrast, Orlando Pirates have nine players selected: Sipho Chaine, Oswin Appollis, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Tshepang Moremi, Relebohile Mofokeng, Sipho Mbule, Mbekezeli Mbokazi (who joined Chicago Fire on Tuesday), Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa.
This has led Mngqithi to praise Pirates for trusting local talent more than Sundowns.
“Pirates have more players than Sundowns in the national team, and I can’t blame Hugo Broos for that because it’s the reality,” Mngqithi said after Arrows’ 1–0 defeat to AmaZulu at King Zwelithini Stadium on Tuesday night.
“People will say this and that, but the reality is that Pirates have a lot of local players, while Sundowns do not. In Sundowns’ starting line-up, you often have five or six players who are not eligible to play for Bafana Bafana, and that’s where things are taking a different direction.
“Other teams are invested in older players, and that makes it very difficult to maintain a consistent pipeline for the national team.
“The shift at Pirates is because they have many local players — and many young ones. If you look at Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis, Evidence Makgopa, Yanela Mbuthuma, Sipho Mbule, Masindi Nemtajela, Thalente Mbatha — the list is endless. These are players who will feed into the national team.
“Unlike what we always used to – that Kaizer Chiefs will feed the national team, Sundowns will feed the national team, Pirates will feed the national team; Golden Arrows fed the national squad for the World Cup [in 2010].
“Golden Arrows had probably three players if you count Kagiso Dikgacoi [who was sold at Fulham in 2099].
“Are we continuing in that direction? If we don’t continue in that direction, we are going to be excited [at club level] and be disappointed very quickly [at the national team] after two to three years and maybe depend on one team.”
Mngqithi, who spent more than 10 years at Sundowns and won several league titles — including the CAF Champions League — before being sacked in December last year and replaced by Miguel Cardoso, added that signing local players was a clear mandate during his tenure.
“At the time I was there, it was one of the mandates from the boss to sign the majority of local players. They wanted Sundowns to help the national teams as well,” said Mngqithi.
“From the youth national teams to the senior national team, Sundowns always had strong representation. But lately they haven’t recruited many South African players and have focused on decisive positions. When you lose a player like Lucas, you try to get two or three players of that level to fill the gap.
“Other teams are also strengthening themselves, because I don’t want to lie and say Sundowns did not strengthen the team better from where they were last season; I think they have done exceptionally well. “But unfortunately, that strengthening was mainly from players from outside.
“The two players – Nuno Santos and Miguel Reisinho [all from Portugal] are big editions in that team and maybe they are going to help them in the CAF Champions League.
“But unfortunately, you got a Themba Zwane that is coming back from an injury. You also got Thapelo Morena who has been injured a lot, Bathusi Aubaas has not played too many matches.
“Mothobi Mvala has not been playing at all in that central defense. They have not been doing exceptional well to be honest, and that compounds the issue of Hugo who he brings in the team because they are players that are playing regularly for their teams like Khulumane Ndamane at TS Galaxy.
“He [Broos] wants to try to have players, and it makes sense to bring players into their teams rather than to force matters of players that have not had enough game time, and also players who are not getting younger as well.”
