Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates striker Zakhele Lepasa has cleared the air on his involvement in the bust-up involving Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena.
Sundowns won their first Carling Black Label Cup over the weekend, thanks to a 4-0 drubbing of Pirates in the final at a wet FNB Stadium in Nasrec, Soweto.
However, the Brazilians' win was marred by a heated exchange involving Mokwena, Lepasa and Kermit Erasmus after Pirates star Tapelo Xoki saw red.
Xoki got his marching orders early on, following a dangerous tackle on Haashim Domingo, evoking emotions from both benches as he walked off.
Mokwena said that he felt disrespected by Erasmus and Lepasa during that moment, and the latter apologised after the match.
The Sundowns coach, on various platforms, admitted he was taken aback by Erasmus whom he and the club helped during his two-year stint with them.
But speaking on Marawa Sports Worldwide on Monday, Mokwena confirmed that Erasmus texted him and apologised as they went on to hold a brief chat.
Erasmus spent two frustrating seasons at Sundowns before rejoining Pirates this season and scored against his former side in the MTN8 semi-final.
Meanwhile, Lepasa also took to his social media platforms on Tuesday night to explain his stance in the incident and wish Domingo a speedy recovery.
“I would like to put on record that I did not encourage my teammate Tapelo Xoki to kick an opponent,” Lepasa tweeted.
“It's factually incorrect to suggest that I – or any of my teammates – would do that. I stood up to console him because I knew how important this game was to him.
“I understand that football is an emotional game and at the time, the emotions were high. But I know for a fact that his act was not intentional.”
Lepasa, who’s in the current 23-man Bafana Bafana squad, added: “I would like to wish Domingo a speedy recovery and all the best for the future.”
IOL Sport