Playing a cup final after Fifa break ‘suicidal’: Sundowns coach Mngqithi

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi fully understands why Bafana Bafana mentor Hugo Broos used many of Masandawana star players in the national team’s final two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan.

He said the scheduling of Saturday’s Carling Knockout Cup final, where Sundowns meet Magesi FC at Free State Stadium (6pm), directly after the Fifa break, is unfortunate, though he refused to blame the Premier Soccer League for that.

Ten Sundowns players will have returned from international duty on Wednesday, leaving them just Thursday and Friday to train for the final.

Bafana, who qualified last Thursday when South Sudan beat Congo, still impressively kept their focus to manage morale-boosting wins against Uganda in Kampala on Friday (2-0) and South Sudan (3-0) at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday to end top of Group K. 

Sundowns stalwarts Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Bathusi Aubaas, Teboho Mokoena, Iqraam Rayners and Thapelo Morena featured strongly in both matches. 

Elsewhere on the continent, Sundowns left-back Divine Lunga played the whole match for Zimbabwe in their 2-1 loss to Cameroon away from home, while Peter Shalulile was a late substitute in Namibia’s 0-0 draw with Kenya in Nairobi. 

Downs players have formed the core of Broos’s successful team, including in Bafana’s stirring run to the bronze medal at this year's Nations Cup in Ivory Coast. The coach fielded the six Brazilians players this week knowing they would return to the Brazilians to have limited time to prepare for the cup final on Saturday.

Mngqithi did not blame the Bafana coaches for making that decision. “It is just an unfortunate situation, to be honest. I wouldn’t want to blame their coaches at the national team because if I was a national team coach, I [too] would have used my best players,” he said at their media open day yesterday at Downs' base in Chloorkop.

“They are using their best players because you want to build on the momentum, you want to make sure you don’t start opening cracks in the team for people to start seeing some of your shortcomings when some of the players are not there. It is difficult to ask of any coach to not play their best players.” 

Mngqithi said it was far from ideal to play a cup final after a Fifa international break. He said he was relieved Downs players in Bafana squad returned with a clean bill of health, including Mothobi Mvala, who suffered a slight hand injury against Uganda.

“Personally I would say there’s nothing wrong playing a league match after the Fifa break. A cup final immediately after the Fifa break is suicidal for me. Having said that, I’m not levelling the blame on the PSL because they did not know that Sundowns would make it to the Carling Knockout final. I think dates were set before us qualifying for the final, so it is just unfortunate that it happens to be us.

“Just imagine if it was South Africa that played in Cameroon on Tuesday, where Divine Lunga was. Lunga will only be back in the country on Thursday morning and when will he train with the team to be able to play in the cup final?  

“Based on that, I think in future it would be important to avoid having cup matches or a final immediately after the Fifa break because it causes unnecessary commotion. I’m just saying this for anyone else who could be in a final and having a lot of players in the national team.”