Pitso congratulates Middendorp ahead of season finale

Sometimes it is hard to gauge whether Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane is being genuine or is playing mind games in a bid to unsettle the opposition, this time being Kaizer Chiefs who are vying for Absa Premiership honours this afternoon.

READ: Our predictions – Will it be Sundowns, or will it be Chiefs?

Mosimane has congratulated Amakhosi mentor Ernst Middendorp for establishing his side as credible title contenders and setting the pace at the summit of the log all-season long.

Could Mosimane be playing mind games ahead of this afternoon’s last round of fixtures where Chiefs and Sundowns are vying for the league title? Or is the former Bafana Bafana mentor genuine in his congratulatory message towards Middendorp?

“For me personally, not from the club, is to congratulate coach Middendorp for the work done for the season. I think they did very well. The team got a shock therapy and he put his methodology and philosophy and if anybody wants to say it is not the best philosophy then why are they sitting at the top of the log,” said Mosimane.

The Downs mentor went on to squash any suggestions of the existence of a colloquial ‘beef’ between him and his opposite number, insisting that their back-and-forth tussle was to hype up the competition as the sides are locked on points going into the final round of the season.

“We had our jabs right through the year, it is like boxing. You know before boxers fight there’s always (trash) talks and the media hyping conversations. He understands and we are professionals. Time is up for those things and whoever wins, we shake hands.

“He knows that I will shake his hand because he was a professional after the match against them. He waited for me to shake my hand and said ‘congratulations’. If he wins it he deserves it, he has been leading for most of the season and I think he also deserves to win his first league title, so it is fair enough,” said Mosimane.

In the same breath, Mosimane still has a glimmer of hope that his side can snatch the title right under Chiefs’ noses.

“We were behind with 13 points and it would be nice if we can win it, this one will be very big and let’s hope we win it because we ever had a chance with this one.”

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