Lukhele makes explosive claims, ‘Pitso helped Sundowns beat Pirates’
Local football critic and analyst Nadim Lukhele has accused Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane of favouring Mamelodi Sundowns ahead of their MTN8 final clash with Orlando Pirates.
Lukhele claims Mosimane misled Pirates by saying Sundowns stars Teboho Mokoena and Aubrey Modiba were injured while on national team duty, suggesting their absence from Bafana’s matches gave them time to prepare for the final.
Sundowns went on to beat Pirates 2-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night, with Mokoena opening the scoring before Iqraam Rayners sealed the victory from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Speaking in a podcast video, Lukhele argued that Mokoena’s availability proved decisive in the showdown.
“Pirates have done well in cup competitions. But now their run has come to an end. We have a new champion called Mamelodi Sundowns,” Lukhele said.
He then questioned what Sundowns had done right to secure the trophy, pointing the finger at Mosimane’s handling of the national team players.
“But what is it that Sundowns did correctly to win the game? That is what I want to highlight.
“One, I think Pitso Mosimane played a huge role in deciding this final. This is why I didn’t want Pitso to be Bafana Bafana coach…”
Lukhele went on to accuse Mosimane of being dishonest about the players’ fitness.
“Look, he lied. He said Mokoena and Modiba were injured. Those guys never looked like they were injured.
“He rested them for two weeks for this game. Who scored the first goal? Mokoena, who contained Pirates and put pressure? It was Mokoena.”
The critic believes Mokoena’s presence in midfield gave Sundowns a significant advantage over the Buccaneers.
“Mokoena really showed his class, that when he is on the pitch he is something else. It was always going to be the case.
“If Mokoena is there, Pirates were always going to be in trouble. If he was not there, Pirates would have a less experienced midfield to deal with.”
Lukhele’s allegations remain his own claims. Mosimane had previously said Bafana needed to protect players ahead of the final and explained that injury management was part of his decisions.
