Betway Premiership coach punishes captain after penalty miss

Polokwane City coach Phuti Mohafe has defended his decision to substitute captain Puleng Marema after a missed penalty in their 3-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday.

Marema squandered a crucial spot-kick at Loftus Versfeld that could have reduced the deficit to 2-1 and shifted momentum in favour of the visitors.

Instead, Mamelodi Sundowns maintained control and extended their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership standings.

Stressed importance of leadership

Speaking after t h e match, Mohafe was critical of his skipper, stressing the importance of leadership in key moments.

“Leadership, my man. When you are a leader, you have to lead by example. You can’t do that,” he said.

The coach added that the substitution was a deliberate message to the squad about accountability.

“Sometimes you need to punish and people must know when you get that opportunity, especially to make the game 2-1, you must make sure,” Mohafe explained, describing his decision as “the best” he could make under the circumstances.

Mohafe also suggested complacency played a role in the miss, while acknowledging that the player would learn from the experience.

Setback

Despite the defeat, Polokwane City remain sixth in the standings with three matches remaining, but the loss marked their second setback in four days against Mamelodi Sundowns.

The coach admitted that a series of poor decisions – both from the bench and on the pitch – contributed to the result.

“Bad decisions, both on the bench and on the field. I think it should’ve ended 2-2 if not 3-2,” he said.

“But we missed a penalty and another one-on-one chance. The boys panicked… he is still young, he will learn.”

While the result strengthened Mamelodi Sundowns’ title push, Mohafe will be looking for a sharper, more composed response from his side as they aim to finish the season strongly.