Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch’s woes continue as Coach Rulani Mokwena confirms a fresh blow ahead of the Nedbank Cup final.
The Downs mentor issued an update on the under-fire star player’s availability for selection against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final.
Lorch joined Sundowns in January 2024 from Pirates, a move that surprised the SA football community. Sundowns and Pirates will renew their rivalry on Saturday, 1 June at a soldout Mbombela Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3pm.
Last week, a video of Lorch was making rounds on social media after the attacker went live on Instagram seemingly under the influence of alcohol with two female friends.
After that, the 30-year-old faced a backlash for his behaviour, and then Mokwena came to his player’s defence.
RULANI MOKWENA SAYS LORCH WON’T FEATURE AGAINST ORLANDO PIRATES
The Soweto-born mentor says Lorch is unavailable for selection to play in the Nedbank Cup showdown.
Mokwena says Lorch picked up an injury in the league match against Stellenbosch FC. He further added that the former Orlando Pirates star has been removed from the group following his conduct.
“On Lorch is he available for Saturday? No.” Mokwena told journalists. “He’s not available for Saturday.
“These types of things, and I say this all the time when it comes to players, you will not get any negative word from me. I always protect my players from the media.
“The space where I’m open and honest with them is when I close my office and have a face-to-face conversation. So you’re not going to hear anything on Lorch from me.
“He’s injured, but he’s been removed from the group. He got injured against Stellies in Cape Town and he might have to undergo surgery. It’s the last game of the season, the season is done for him, unfortunately.”
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