Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has thrown a jab at TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic responding to the “phone call” accusations he made about him last week.
Ramovic proclaimed that the Tshwane giants gaffer, Mokwena called him and used a strong language, saying he shouldn’t come to his “f*cking country and talk to me” like that.
This was after the war-of-words that were initiated by Mokwena’s excuse with the absence of his Bafana Bafana players after the loss to TS Galaxy in the Carling Knockout Cup.
Ramovic felt the former Orlando Pirates assistant coach was “disrespecting” TS Galaxy players.
Responding to the allegations, Mokwena spoke out after Masandawana’s victory over AmaZulu FC on Tuesday.
Despite not revealing much regarding the phone call, Sundowns coach said Ramovic “is crying out for attention” as TS Galaxy have had a good run of form lately. Mokwena feels the German tactician attacked him because “he wants to be in the headlines.”
RULANI MOKWENA SAYS SEAD RAMOVIC ‘WANTS TO BE IN THE HEADLINES’
“If I have to say something to Sead I’ll say it again, I’ll pick up the phone and I’ll say it on the phone,” said Mokwena.
“I do not think that it is for the public, I don’t think so because we go then into a space we’re not supposed to go. I don’t mind if he comes for me; there are a lot of coaches who have come for me.
“But he must not…You see when you start to say, ‘but then the club has spent so much money’, you also borderline disrespecting the Motsepe family, who are people who give so much of their hard-earned money from the family into football and many others.
“You saw the other day they’ve given money to scholars for study debts and things like that, and then you come and talk like that. Sometimes, as coaches, we have to be careful, very, very careful because I sit here and I’ll say things, but why should I say things about TS Galaxy and forget that it’s not even Sead’s club, it’s Tim Sukazi’s club.
‘I’VE GOT RESPECT FOR TIM’
“And I’ve got a lot of respect for Tim also. I can’t sit here and talk about other things; there are a lot of things I could tell you.
“Just go back to the recording that you got from Soccer Laduma, where there was a recording from a meeting. And you heard things that were said there.
“It’s very easy to go into that space, but I can’t go into that space because I have to respect especially the South Africans and people who work very hard like Tim to run a football club and to do the things he’s done.
“Sead, you must give him, guys all he’s crying for, I don’t know why you can’t hear the underlying message, it’s underlying like this. All he’s crying for, he’s won five games in a row, give him attention, give him praise, give it to him.
“The guy is pleading, saying, ‘I’ve won five games in a row; no one is talking’ give it to him.
‘HE SEEKS ATTENTION’
“Mahlatsi, put him on the headlines; why don’t you do it, guys? No, he’s won five games, he’s told you. He’s got eight assists from his left-back, he’s told you guys, give him, give him what he wants because if you don’t give him what he wants, he goes and seeks for it.
“So, and then he comes for people like myself, okay, no problem. But give him the headlines; he wants attention. You see what he’s doing, he’s crying out for attention, so give him a little bit. Spend more time with him, link him to clubs, put him, he wants that.”
When asked whether he’d shake Ramovic’s hand next week, he said: “If he wants to shake my hand, I’ll shake his, no problem.”
The league champions and the Mpumalanga-based side will face off on Wednesday, 6 March at 19:30.
RELATED STORY: Shots fired! Sead Ramović takes another vile swipe at Rulani Mokwena
