Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena was not ready to entertain the praise offered by CR Belouizdad head coach Nabil Kouki after their 6-2 aggregate victory over the Algerian champions in the CAF Champions League quarter-final.
Sundowns booked their place in the last four where they will meet reigning champions Wydad Athletic Club, ending a three-season sequence of falling at the quarter-final stage.
Kouki stated after the game that Sundowns are the best team in Africa and with their investment and incredible technical team, that has taken football on the continent to the next level – before stating they are favourites for the title this season.
“We receive the compliments with a lot of humility and appreciation, coming from a very experienced coach on the continent, but you know like I always say with the pleasantries, it’s like being fed honey on a knife,” Mokwena said when asked by iDiski Times about Kouki’s sentiments in the post-match press conference.
“I don’t have to go too far back because a couple of weeks ago, we lost to Stellies and we were the worst team, I was the worst coach and so… this is football.
“In football, you have to take the good moments, just like you take the bad moments, not too high in the good moments, not too low in the bad moments.
“We have a 24-hour rule, so we’ll enjoy the game, the feeling, and then rest, lots of sleep, lots of water, then we clean the game from our system and start preparing for a very difficult match against AmaZulu.”
Sundowns’ only Champions League title arrived back in 2016, before the new group stage format with 16 teams was introduced since then Wydad have won two, Al Ahly two and Esperance two – as they make up the top-four of the 2022/23 showpiece.
“Congratulations to the football club, it means a lot, congratulations to the team, it means a lot to the supporters,” Mokwena said about the semi-final qualification.
“It means a lot to the management of this club who have invested a lot – we’ve fallen short a couple of years now. It’s only one step further now and the dream lives on.”
