Mokwena Praises Sundowns Academy Staff

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena praised club’s academy staff after few youngsters got their first team debuts.

Sunday afternoon we saw a lot of changes in the Sundowns starting line-up, which included 18-year-old Ntandoyenkosi Nkosi. On the bench, there was yet another DStv Diski Challenge graduate Siyanda Nyanga, who came in as a substitute in the 82nd minute. 

A few weeks ago when they traveled to Egypt for CAF Champions League encounter against Al Ahly, with DDC top goalscorer Jerome Karelse being part of the squad, unfortunately, he didn’t play.

Mokwena mentioned that all the praise should go to the academy staff who have been preparing the talented youngsters for first-team football. 

“How easy it is, not easy for them we have to give them all the support that they can. The talent of Cassius, the talent of Siya, the talent of Buthelezi talent of Jerome is a reflection of the hard work that is being put in by the Academy staff,” he said, when asked by iDiski Times about introducing more and more young players.

“So a lot of very good compliments have to go to people like Shaun Bishop, David, Sam Mbatha, Surprise Moriri, these are people that work tirelessly to make sure that the players are good enough to be able to play for the first team because it’s not charity to hand out and hand out and hand out debut, the players have to be good enough.

“I think they demonstrated, Ntando made his debut and he demonstrated that he can get to this level and compete.

“So a lot of compliments and praise these is going to the Academy staff, number one, number two to the football club, for the investments that they make them to the Academy and then we try our level best to give them opportunities.

“Because maybe the one master of that was Sir Alex Ferguson and in his book he says all talent wants is an opportunity to be used and that’s what we have to try our level best to give us just opportunities for this for these talented kids to demonstrate their talent.

“But for sure that is just a reflection of the investment of the football club and the investment of the Academy staff and the people that work tirelessly to make sure that they are good enough to be at this level.”