Johannesburg – Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane formally apologised to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Tuesday for comments made earlier this year, inferring something sinister was going on in the league.
“I made certain statements which brought the league into disrepute, I would like sincerely to apologise,” Mosimane read from a brief statement at a news conference in Johannesburg, attended by club owner Patrice Motsepe.
Following a heavy 3-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates in August, Mosimane hinted at a conspiracy against Sundowns after Pirates lodged a complaint about the eligibility of Dutch defender Alje Schut.
Pirates queried the player's registration card, which acts as a 'passport' to play in the PSL.
Mosimane, in a heated post-match reaction live on television, questioned how Pirates had come to know about the player's card, which he found “very, very strange”.
The PSL hauled the former Bafana Bafana manager in front of a disciplinary committee, after which he was fined R100,000, half of which was suspended on condition he publicly retracted the comments.
The club was fined R60 000, of which R30 000 would be suspended if Motsepe attended the news conference. – Sapa