MC Alger head coach Rulani Mokwena has responded to the allegations that he has been spying on his former team, Mamelodi Sundowns, to gain inside intel ahead of the two teams’ meeting in the CAF Champions League.
The ex-Orlando Pirates and Wydad Athletic Club coach is currently in South Africa with Alger to face Sundowns in the decisive last match of the group stages in the CAF Champions League. The Algerian giants and Sundowns are all gunning for a victory on Saturday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium to advance to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Sundowns are coming to the match against Alger under immense pressure to walk away with maximum points after failing to win their last two matches of the group.
The Tshwane giants suffered a 2-1 defeat against Al Hilal away from home over a week ago before playing to a 1-1 draw against FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo last weekend. As it stands, Sundowns are sitting third in Group C of the Champions League with six points in five matches, while MC Alger is on seven points with the same number of games.
Building up to the match between Alger and Sundowns, there have been reports alleging that Downs analyst Mario Masha has been sending confidential training materials and tactics to Rulani Mokwena. Masha has since been suspended from the club.
WHAT MOKWENA SAID ABOUT THE EXPLOSIVE SUNDOWNS ALLEGATIONS
The former Sundowns mentor has responded to the allegations, denying that he has received any tactical information from Mario.
“Let me state this clearly, Mario has not given me any tactical or confidential information about Sundowns,” Mokwena said in a press conference at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday.
“The conversation I had referenced was professional football discussions, some personal, relating to his UEFA licenses, which he asked me to help him share through different methodologies, previous work done together at Mamelodi Sundowns, and different tactical ideas that include European examples such as those from Manchester City.
“At no point, and I repeat, at no point were current Sundowns tactical plans or confidential material shared with me.”
Meanwhile, Mokwena further went on to regard Mario Masha as a great man whom he would not ask compromise his reputation and career for competitive gains.
RULANI MOKWENA REVEALS THAT THERE ARE ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS ON THE ALLEGATIONS
“Mario is a great man, someone I consider a friend, a former colleague, but above all, a hard-working professional and a family man. I would never ask that he compromise his integrity for me; I would never ask anyone to risk their career for competitive advantage.
“I also want to strongly protect my current technical team at MC Alger, the work, the investment, and the time they spent analysing the opponents properly has been greatly undermined. Any suggestion that we rely on leaked information disrespects this great club and our professionalism. We prepare thoroughly, of course, through intelligence and hard work, but never through shortcuts. There’s another aspect that concerns me deeply, and through my time that I worked at Sundowns, the club taught me a lot, and what I know is that the club has been built on strong family values, trust, respect, and professionalism.
“To hear that anonymous screenshots allegedly obtained from a private WhatsApp account of an employee are being circulated publicly is a worrying principle. In South African law, private communications are protected under the constitution, and legislation such as RICA and the Cybercrime Act that prohibit unlawful access and distribution of private data. These are serious matters; however, I must also respect that there are ongoing processes and investigations, those processes must be allowed to run their course, and I will not go further into this, lest I seem to be interfering with the process of the internal investigation, especially because I’m now a former employee.”
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