MANQOBA Mngqithi’s middle name is Brilliant. It is an apt name because, damn, the man is brilliant.
On an evening when he essentially served the Doubting Thomases with large helpings of humble pie as he led Mamelodi Sundowns to a 2-0 Betway Premiership victory over SuperSport United – which showed the Brazilians are once again the team to beat – Mngqithi also handled a media corps thirsty for scandalous news with the brilliance of a man who understands himself.
Iqraam Rayners and Lucas Ribeiro Costa grabbed the goals to hand Masandawana all three points.
The coach was asked why it was that he was using the talismanic Themba Zwane sparingly, bringing him on from the bench despite the huge impact he always makes – the journalist actually suggesting it is “an injustice to football” and “a problem”.
“It’s a very good question. It’s a very good question,” Mngqithi responded, the sarcasm pretty thick.
“I don’t think there is a problem. Is there any thought that there is a problem? We have to periodise (sic) our players, our most important players.
“We’ve got six competitions to play in, and it is very important for us to make sure that we don’t burn our 34-year-old very early in the season.
“It is something that is going to happen up until maybe you start to look at it as a problem.”
Iqraam Rayners shared his pitchside thoughts with us after getting on the scoresheet in his first #TshwaneDerby in Masandawana colours! 🔥🗣#Sundowns #BetwayPrem #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/ydW5M65OwS
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 18, 2024
Mngqithi said the player is aware of how he is going to be used this season.
“But there’s no problem. He (Zwane) understands how many games we are going to play, and if we go for 90 minutes with Themba every match at 34, how far will he go in this season?
“For me, it is important to make sure we take care of Sundowns – not your wishes and aspirations, but Sundowns.”
It is because he understands the job he is in that Mngqithi is not fazed by what’s going out there regarding people’s views of his suitability for arguably the country’s top club.
“I am helped by the fact that I am not on social media, so I don’t listen to all the rubbish that people would say. So that helps, because sometimes you’d be emotional from just maybe the pictures that people send and talk rubbish... Because I am not on social media, I survive.
“Also, I am a big boy. I’ve been in football for more than 20 years now, and I know what is expected of me.
“I know that sometimes I will be able to keep the job for long and maybe if the circumstances don’t allow me and I don’t do well, I know what is most likely to happen – and for me, that is the most important thing in life.
“It’s important to accept that you have to face the realities, and the good thing is that I’ve got a very high self-esteem. I am very confident. In my ability, I am very confident.
“I know what I am capable of. So, it is not what an opinionated person says that defines me. Because other people can’t even manage their own lives, but they’ve got big opinions about what you are competent on.
“So, if you listen to everybody, you end up losing your mind. For me, it is always important to trust my gut feeling, to trust my competency and to know that sometimes I can do so well, but luck might not be on my side and circumstances might not favour me.
“I am very capable of taking decisive decisions... that’s one thing I am good at.
“If you can check some of the top players that were respected in my previous clubs, when I say I no longer feel you are helping the club, I move on, and that helps me a lot.
“If you go back to Golden Arrows, you check what happened to Y2K (Lucky Sibeko); what happened to Bheka Phakathi; what happened to Pere (Ariweriyai) at AmaZulu, and all these players were influential in those teams.
“But when I feel you are not going to help the club, I take the decision. But one thing good is that I am a very good human being. I don’t keep grudges.
“When you are ready to perform and help the team, I will always embrace you because I must be a bigger boy. I must be a father to these kids who are looking up to their leader to make sure he is fair to them.
“There will be good moments and bad moments; there will be punishments and there will be rewards. There will be successes and there will be failures. It is a story of life.”