Read more
Sundowns to discipline Onyango?
'Of course we will deal with it internally and the club will take the right sort of measures to deal with it,' said Downs coach Rhulani Mokwena.
Denis Onyango of Mamelodi Sundowns. Picture: Steve Haag/BackpagePix
Mamelodi Sundowns have made it tradition to discipline their players for transgressions on and off the pitch in a bid to maintain a high level of professionalism. The club is guided by a rulebook which, among others, outlines the fines handed down on players for late arrivals to training, an elaborate social life and things such as getting unnecessary yellow and red cards.
READ ALSO: It’s a team error, says Mokwena as he dehorts against crucifying Onyango
Downs captain and goalkeeper, Denis Onyango, is one player who will be dealt with after he got himself into hot waters this past weekend when he received a straight red card after committing a professional foul in a 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United.
However, his coach, Rhulani Mokwena says Onyango’s situation is not a complex one and should be dealt with ease.
“The club has clear policies and there is a handbook which outlines what is tolerable behavior and what isn’t, both on and off the pitch,” said Mokwena.
“We shouldn’t try to make this a big situation, we cannot make it a mountain when it is just a ‘smalla nyana’ mole hill. We shouldn’t exaggerate the situation because these things happen and it isn’t the first time we see a red card after trying to save the team.
“Of course we will deal with it internally and the club will take the right sort of measures to deal with a situation like this in relation to the policies and the handbook. It is not a form of ill-discipline but it is a form of compromise with an element of difficulty in responding to a compromised situation,” Mokwena added.
This past week will not be one that Onyango will reflect on and marvel at as he committed two costly errors in a Tshwane derby against SuperSport United on Wednesday. Sekhukhune head coach Macdonald Makhubedu was the first to console the veteran goalie after he was shown red.
“He is bigger than what happened against SuperSport. He has played a lot of games in his career, he is a big boy. Sometimes it is good to have such performances. I told him that the Ugandans are still proud of him and the Sundowns family still love him. He has a good support structure, he will recover from this,” said Makhubedu.
