Rulani Mokwena was quick to defend Mothobi Mvala after the defender's costly error gifted Cape Town City a crucial 1-0 win as Mamelodi Sundowns fell agonisingly short at the final hurdle of an "invincible" campaign to scupper the Brazilians' title celebrations.
Mvala’s glaring error opened the door for intense criticism, as the 29-year-old again cost his side at a crucial moment, such as when his mistake previously contributed to Sundowns being eliminated from the CAF Champions League last season.
However, long-time mentor, Mokwena was quick to protect the defender from the backlash following a final day defeat at Loftus Versveld Stadium.
A mistake at the back for Sundowns and it looks like Jaedin Rhodes is about to spoil the party 👀
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 25, 2024
📺 Stream #DStvPrem live: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/D1Nv8PAom5
“He (Mvala) knows I love him like how I love all of my players. We all make mistakes and I make more mistakes than anyone else.
“It is all about perspective and my perspective is different to a lot of people. When people see mistakes, I see 29 games of incredible effort and that is the perspective I choose,” said Mokwena.
“Mavala will definitely see it the same as me because he will get the emotions from me. My players know how much I am with them. I have been with Mothobi Mvala and I support all of the players.
“There are a lot of things that [people] don’t know about this group and the connection that I have with this group. You can rest assured that Mothobi will see the perspective that I see,” Mokwena explained.
This was the seventh successive league crown for the Brazilians, something Mokwena believes will “never be done again”.
“This is an extremely talented group of players, and they rest their talent and work very hard and that makes them very special. The mentality and the brotherhood that they carry shows a genuine sense of love for each other,” said Mokwena.
“There is also a sense of appreciation for each other’s roles and abilities. We can only get better. I don’t think we are at 65% of our potential, that’s where we are flirting at this moment.
“We’ve got so much work to do and a little bit of our progress has been delayed because we did not have training time,” Mokwena concluded.
From Khuliso Mudau hugging each player on the stage to Thembinkosi Lorch receiving his first #DStvPrem winners medal plus Themba Zwane’s vosho, Sundowns’ medal ceremony was wholesome 🥺#DStvPrem pic.twitter.com/EBd2iRAwGz
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 26, 2024
