DURBAN - Pitso Mosimane has turned Mamelodi Sundowns into a well-oiled machine since taking over the coaching reins back in 2012.
When Mosimane took over from Johan Neeskens, the club was fighting for its life near the bottom of the league. It was really difficult times. But it’s been a joyful tenure for Mosimane at Sundowns, who have enjoyed a trophy-laden spell.
Sundowns completed the treble at the weekend when they defeated Bloemfontein Celtic to be crowned Nedbank Cup champions.
They worked diligently to win three pieces of silverware, but elementary mistakes are really denting their reputation.
They need to avoid such blunders. The team manager should have known that Tebogo Langerman was suspended. Those are just basics for a team manager, to check who may or may not play. It is his priority to record yellow cards. How he missed that, only God knows. A big brand like Sundowns can’t be making such mistakes.
Luckily for Sundowns, in as much as Langerman was part of the 18-man match-day squad - something that should never have happened - Celtic didn’t protest before or during the game.
According to the administrative process, it clearly states that a protest should be lodged before or during the game.
Celtic only realised after the game that Langerman was not supposed to have been a part of the match-day squad. For that reason, Sundowns will get away with it, although they are likely to be fined.
The Brazilians can’t keep making such mistakes. It nearly cost them a Premiership title last year, but fortunately for them they were merely fined for the Wayne Arendse saga.
Heading into the last game of the league, it wasn’t clear whether Sundowns were going to lose points or be fined after they illegally fielded Arendse against Wits last year in a Premiership encounter.
The club were fined R250000. They will also be fined for committing an identical mistake in the Langerman saga.
The success of Sundowns can’t be overshadowed by such basic errors. The club should have learned from the Arendse saga.
If Celtic identified the blunder earlier and reacted to it, we would be talking a different story. But luckily for Sundowns, they keep on escaping. At some stage their luck will come to an end and the club will suffer massively.
The mistake they committed this past weekend could have cost them a dream treble. They could have lost the league last season as well but again escaped.
These blunders are really overshadowing their performance on the field of play.
Minenhlecr7