‘It’s not easy’: Mokwena on Sundowns winning sixth straight title

When referee Thokozani Mkhize blew his whistle to signal the end of the DStv Premiership tie between Chippa United and SuperSport United, which finished in a one-all draw, there were resounding cheers at Mamelodi Sundowns camp as the draw meant Downs retain yet another league crown.

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With 59 points on the log, no one can catch Sundowns who will lift a sixth straight Premiership crown at the end of the season.

Sundowns played Cotonsport on the same night after receiving the news that they are champions, and Rulani Mokwena’s job was to make sure that his players focus on the task at hand and spare the celebrations for later.

“It was a bit difficult because we live in a digital and social media space, and whether you like it or not, players will know the situation because it is posted on the social feeds,” said Mokwena.

“My speech to them before the game was to congratulate them because they already knew that the title was in the bag. They need to be congratulated because in South Africa it is downplayed and maybe we are victims of our own success.

“People undermine the difficulties of winning a league title. It is the hardest competition to win because you have to play against 15 opponents home and away and the competition lasts for about eight months. There is no competition in football as long as the league,” he added.

League difficulty

With seven games to spare, the general perception is that Sundowns the league title defence was somewhat of a breeze for the Chloorkop-based side, but Mokwena begs to differ. He insists that the DStv Premiership is one of the most difficult competitions to win, even though they only suffered two defeats and as many draws so far this season.

“Sometimes it may be perceived that it looks easy, but it is the most difficult thing. The game against Cotonsport was one test that we had to pass because we had the psychological block of not wanting to be in a celebratory mode,” said Mokwena.

“It is so difficult to have that level of consistency that this group has shown over the number of games that we have played and to deliver and win without getting tired is not easy because what normally happens is that there is an element of compliancy that easily creeps in and to not allow for that and stay competitive is extremely difficult. Not a lot of appreciation is given to this group for what they have done this season. If there is a little bit of appreciation, I don’t feel it is enough,” he added.