Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed that Zakhele Lepasa came to apologise for his part in the much-publicised exchange with Kermit Erasmus.
Mokwena and his former player Erasmus had an ugly exchange emanating from a reaction to Tapelo Xoki’s crude tackle on Sundowns’ Haashim Domingo.
Xoki was red-carded for the incident, and Lepasa applauded him as he walked out for an early shower on Saturday. Mokwena reprimanded Lepasa before Erasmus got into the mix for an ugly exchange with Mokwena.
RULANI MOKWENA REACTION TO THE TACKLE
“My reaction to the tackle was not actually even to the tackle. It was towards Zakhele Lepasa who started clapping towards the red card and clapping towards Xoki as if to encourage that type of behaviour,” Mokwena told MSW.
“Funny enough, Zakhele Lepasa came to me after the match and apologised and said, ‘coach, I’m also a victim of a career-threatening injury’.
“Kermit then remonstrated and said things towards me that I felt I did not deserve, especially from Kermit, particularly with what we had been through, there are a lot of things.”
The Sundowns head coach further pointed out his concern at the sequence of Erasmus events since leaving Sundowns in September.
“What I will say about it if I look at the sequence of events: him scoring a fantastic goal in Polokwane against us, but I look at the celebration and how borderline it was in terms of possibly even lacking respect towards Sundowns and maybe even going to our supporters and wave.
KERMIT ERASMUS DISRESPECTFUL
“I then listened to some of the interviews he’s done and some of the things he’s said, which were completely incorrect and maybe even borderline, again borderline disrespectful not just to the club, the fans, but also the Motsepe Family for what the club has done for him.”
He added that they had smoked a peace pipe after Erasmus reached out via a text message.
“I said to him even at the end of our conversation ‘, love and light! I wish you love and light’,” concluded the Downs mentor.
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