It’s almost unheard of for players at Sundowns to effectively down tools in an attempt to force moves
The growing uncertainty surrounding several unhappy players at Mamelodi Sundown should never have been allowed to fester for this long. The club ought to have nipped the issue in the bud well before the new PSL season kicked off.
Sundowns warning
If the powers that be at Chloorkop aren’t careful, the culture of a quiet and honest changing room could soon become a thing of the past. It’s almost unheard of for players at Sundowns to effectively down tools in an attempt to force moves, yet that seems to be exactly what’s unfolding.
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Failure by the club’s hierarchy to act decisively sends the wrong message to promising youngsters like Siyabonga Mabena and Malibongwe Khoza. It sets a dangerous precedent if senior players are allowed to operate on their own terms without accountability.
This is not necessarily about whether the players are right or wrong, it’s about poor leadership. The issues involving Lucas Ribeiro, Khuliso Mudau, Thembinkosi Lorch and Peter Shalulile have been allowed to drag on unresolved for far too long.
That indecision has now put head coach Miguel Cardoso in an undesirable position, forced to deflect questions that should be directed to the club’s leadership. Lorch, for example, was clearly a Rulani Mokwena signing. Once Mokwena left, Lorch’s place in the squad became uncertain. His loan to Wydad Casablanca wasn’t surprising. However, what is surprising is why the club is now struggling to offload him when he’s clearly not in Cardoso’s plans
The club now finds itself in an embarrassing situation, with certain players seemingly absconding from training and breaking their contractual obligations. Lorch hasn’t returned to training since his loan spell in Morocco ended, and Mudau also failed to report for pre-season preparations at the Royal Marang Hotel in Rustenburg.
Shalulile influence on the wane
Even in Shalulile’s case, the way he was used sparingly by Cardoso raised questions about his future. The Namibian striker was given just 13 minutes in the final match against Fluminense at the FIFA Club World Cup, and it doesn’t take a genius to realise his influence has waned. To be fair, a player of Shalulile’s stature, and one chasing the PSL all-time goalscoring record, deserves far more respect
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The Ribeiro situation is slightly more complex. Everyone knew his time in the PSL would be short-lived because he’s simply outgrown the domestic league. Sundowns have aspirations of becoming a global football brand, but these unresolved matters have exposed organisational shortcomings.