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Mokwena Defends Mvala After Costly Error In City Loss

  • May 26, 2024
  • 2 min read
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Mokwena Defends Mvala After Costly Error In City Loss

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena stood by defender Mothobi Mvala despite his error leading to a defeat against Cape Town City in the final match of the 2023/24 DStv Premiership season on Saturday.

Mvala’s lapse in concentration allowed Jaeden Rhodes to steal the ball and slot it past Ronwen Williams at Loftus Stadium. This ended Sundowns’ impressive unbeaten league run since September 2022 and marked Mokwena’s first league defeat since taking charge in October 2022.

The loss shattered Sundowns’ dream of becoming the first PSL team to go an entire season unbeaten. However, Mokwena praised his players’ commitment throughout the season, competing in six competitions.

“He [Mvala] knows I love him, just like all my players,” Mokwena said at the post-match press conference, with the league medal around his neck. “Everyone makes mistakes, and I make more than most. It’s part of the game.”

Mokwena used an analogy to illustrate his perspective: “If I ask you, ‘what do you see when I lift up my hand?’ You see a hand with five fingers and if I turn my hand around there is a difference.  

“The difference is colour and if I look at the hand at the same time with you, I see a completely different colour to what you see but it is still the same hand. So, my perspective is completely different to that of a lot of people.”  

This wasn’t Mvala’s first high-profile error. Last season, he scored an own goal in the CAF Champions League semi-final against Wydad Casablanca, also at Loftus Stadium.

“When people see mistakes, I see 29 games of incredible effort and that is the perspective I chose and he will definitely see the perspective the same way I see it because he will get the emotions from me,” continued Mokwena.   

“My players know how much I love them. I have been with Mothobi Mvala through a lot of things. “There are a lot of things you guys don’t know about the connection I have with this group. You can rest assured Mothobi will see the perspective I see.” 

Mvala will need to be at his best as Sundowns chase a historic treble, facing Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final next Saturday at Mbombela Stadium.

Pictures courtesy of Mamelodi Sundowns

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