Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has not held back and slammed Kaizer Chiefs for hosting Al Ahly at the Naturena Village.
The Downs coach was talking after his side completed a historic double over the Egyptian giants, beating them 1-0 at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Mngqithi insisted that the victory was worth more than just the three points, which sent Sundowns almost certainly into the CAF Champions League quarter-finals, because they were assisted by Amakhosi to prepare for the match – while Downs themselves did not do the same for Wydad Casablanca last year.
“I think what makes it sweeter for me is a collaboration. When you remember during the bubble, we could use the change room, at FNB you could not use the change rooms, I mean our countrymen could not use the change room,”
“But this change room was open for Al Ahly now, against us. For me, winning this match was sweeter because I felt Chiefs was being spiteful because we could’ve easily taken Al Ahly to the change room that has got a ramp on the other side, that long distance because it’s our home match.
“But it’s not our home match when they’ve got the change room of the home team. So that for me was very spiteful because we almost had the same scenario last season but we don’t talk about these things because we respect and we’re patriotic.
“We’ve been in the space of the Champions League for many years now. Wydad wanted to train in our facility, when they were coming to play Chiefs last year. But we did not allow them to train in our facility because they would’ve meant we’re forming an alliance with people from outside.”
Mngqithi insisted that South African teams should work together rather than against each other when it comes to representing the country at the African stage.
“So for me more than beating Al Ahly, I think this is just a good lesson on patriotism, on respecting the fact that when we compete at this stage, we’re no longer competing with the Sundowns badge, we’re competing with the flag of the country,” he added.
“It’s very important, I’m not saying we must create opponent enemies, but we must have a little more respect of the fact that we are representing the country – Ahly is representing their country.
“If the conditions are made to be nice by our countrymen, which we didn’t do last season, for me that is where this thing is a little bit nice because when it’s a collaboration you must be proud of it.”
