Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has defended Mothobi Mvala after he was sent off in the early stages of their CAF African Football League second leg quarter-finals clash against Petro de Luanda on Tuesday night.
Mvala was sent off to take an early shower after receiving a straight red card in the third minute of the showdown against the Angolan at Loftus Versfeld.
Petro came into this encounter two goals down, having lost the first leg with a 2-0 scoreline at home over the weekend.
The second leg ended with a 0-0 draw. As a result, Sundowns advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win on aggregate.
RULANI MOKWENA ON MOTHOBI MVALA RED CARD
“I have made far more mistakes than Mothobi Mvala in life. Far more costly mistakes in my life. Of course, we will analyse and check. We will speak to him for sure like we did with all other mistakes,” said Rulani Mokwena.
“Many of my players make mistakes. I’m sounding like a pastor my goodness. The Bible says forgive seven times, seventy-seven times you know what I mean.
“We genuinely say we love our players. The definition of love in the Bible is that love keeps no account of wrongs. So, when I tell you that here I love my players I genuinely mean that.”
Mokwena continued: “So, when we make mistakes, we analyse, check and we move on. We try to improve. Mistakes are life problems and they exist in life because they present you with opportunities not just for growth but for learning, finding solutions, and getting better.
“Mothobi, like any other players who have played for Mamelodi Sundowns, will always receive love from me, the club, and everybody associated with the club. But never will be judged.”
‘IF WE WERE TO JUDGE MISTAKES, ALL OF US SHOULD BE JUDGED’
The 36-year-old mentor, Mokwena, went on to state that if they were to judge mistakes, then all of the people at the club must be put in a space where they will be judged and account for their mistakes.
“If we start to judge, then we must be put in a space where we are judged. How many of us in this room can say we are clean, spotless, and errorless?” he added.
“We live in a society where we are so quick to judge others, yet we forget how sinful we are. How many mistakes do we make ourselves, yet we are so quick to judge other people?
‘EXERCISE A BIT OF KINDNESS’
“So, exercise a bit of kindness. This is what the world needs more than the judgemental mentality. None of you can tell me that you work for your publication or previous employees that you have written the best articles and that every word you have written you spelled it correctly every single time.
“And you have met deadlines every single time or you have arrived at work every single time. You have come to work sober every time, you can’t tell me that because life happens. And when life happens you have to deal with life.
“Sometimes life happens with the good and you can’t say you’re in heaven and sometimes when life happens with the bad you can’t say you’re in hell. So, this is part of the process of educating these football players better.”
With that being said, Sundowns will face the Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly in the semi-final of the African Football League.
The first leg will be played on 29 October, while the second leg will take place on the 1st of November 2023.
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