FIFA boss Gianni Infantino congratulates Mamelodi Sundowns for FIFA Club World Cup qualification. Image: @robertmarawa/X.
FIFA make Sundowns announcement
DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns have achieved a major step. Masandawana have made the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino congratulates Mamelodi Sundowns for FIFA Club World Cup qualification. Image: @robertmarawa/X.
Mamelodi Sundowns fans can heal after losing to Esperance in the CAF Champions League semifinals at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane on Friday night. FIFA has made an annoucement worth smiling about.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS LOSE TO ESPERANCE IN THE CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The 2016 CAF Champions League winners failed in another dream to win the second title. Tunisia’s Esperance completed a 2-0 aggregate win after a 1-0 win in the semifinal second leg last night. Sundowns completely dominated the game in both boxes, missed a string of chances before Esperance’s Read Bouchniba smashed home a killer winner three minutes before the hour mark.
Despite the result, Sundowns are one of the four African teams going to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The news for Kabo Yellow was confirmed by FIFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino.
“Many, many congratulations to the brilliant qualification to the brand-new FIFA Club World Cup, the Mundial de Clubes in 2025, next year in the United States of America, many congratulations to Mamelodi Sundowns,” Infantino announced.
RULANI MOKWENA ADMITS TO MISKATES
In other Sundowns news, coach Rulani Mokwena has admitted to a couple of mistake before the match against Esperance.
Speaking to the media after the match, Sundowns coach Mokwena said he made a mistake by dropping Themba Zwane, Aubrey Modiba and Thembinkosi Lorch to the bench.
“I speak [to the players], one of the most important things about what I’ve learnt from some of the many discussions and things that I read is how important communication is and I speak to the players a lot,” said Mokwena via Goal.
“So I did speak to Lorch, I spoke to Mshishi, but I also spoke to Bongani Zungu because he also has just come back.
“I spoke to Tashreeq because Tash played well and scored a goal last game but he’s been struggling with a stomach bug. I spoke to Thapelo Morena, who I thought even when he came on was very good today, he was good in the last game as well.
the Sundowns coach continued: “Modiba also has been playing well for us, so I had to speak to him. But I speak to them, I talk as much as I possibly can, I explain the reasons why – they don’t always have to agree with the reasons but they’ve got to respect the reasons because I’m the coach and I had to make the decisions.
“And sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong.
“Unfortunately in this game of football, it’s the results that determine if you’re right or wrong and in this moment because we lost and we’re out of the Champions League I was wrong and I put up my hand I say ‘I was wrong and therefore I take the full responsibility for it’” the Sundowns tactician concluded.
