The fate of Mamelodi Sundowns lies in the hands of the players, says club legend Hlompho Kekana

Hlompho Kekana believes it doesn't matter who is handed the role of head coach at Sundowns. Picture: Samuel Shivambu BackpagePix

Hlompho Kekana believes it doesn't matter who is handed the role of head coach at Sundowns. Picture: Samuel Shivambu BackpagePix

Published Dec 12, 2022

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Johannesburg - Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana has expressed his views on the technical team changes at Chloorkop.

Rhulani Mokwena and his charges are currently hard at work at Chloorkop, as they look to put the final touches on their preparations ahead of the resumption of the Premiership at the end of the month.

Mokwena has had an excellent start to his new role as the club's head coach, claiming two impressive victories while his team scored eight goals in those two league outings.

Kekana, who made 339 appearances for the Pretoria-based club and captained them to numerous trophies, believes it doesn't matter who is handed the role of head coach at the club.

"I don't really think it's a big deal (on who is the head coach), because in the end, what's important is the kind of application they are able to get from the players come matchday," Kekana told IOL Sport.

"So whoever is in charge at that moment should understand that they have a responsibility to ensure that the team wins. Sundowns has the best players in the country, and probably Africa as well, so winning is never negotiated at that club.

"At the present moment, it doesn't matter who is in charge, but they as a collective, should be able to put together a team that wins matches for them, that's the most important part.

"The tags that everyone has in the technical team mean nothing, everyone who represents the club has a huge responsibility to ensure that the dominance continues both domestically and continentally."

Sundowns are currently in pole position to defend their league crown, leading second-placed surprise package Richards Bay by five points with a game in hand.

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Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have fallen by the wayside in the last five to seven years, failing to stop Sundowns from winning five league titles in a row.

Kekana believes that it makes the job incredibly difficult for other teams if their attempts at trying to chase down Sundowns involve them continuously comparing themselves to the Brazilians rather than themselves.

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"I think it's a matter of being able to compete. It would be really unfortunate if any team base their own performances on how Sundowns are playing," he said.

"Therefore if they want to have any chance of competing, then they need to ensure that they have good enough teams to play and win the entire season."

@ScribeSmiso

IOL Sport