Johannesburg – Never mess with a wounded animal. Stellenbosch FC should remember that when they visit champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who are engulfed by a dark cloud after a bereavement in the team.
Sundowns, together with the football fraternity, suffered a great loss early this week following the death of defender Anele Ngcongca in car accident in KwaZulu- Natal where he was on the verge of completing a loan move to AmaZulu.
Revered by his teammates, technical team and supporters of the beautiful game, Ngcongca left his mark on everyone he crossed paths with. And that’s why Sundowns’ senior coach Steve Komphela urged his troops not to drop their heads during these trying times.
“You can be in a tragic situation, but if you don’t have a way of coming out then you have a problem. But how do we come out of this, considering that you have to come out quickly and very sensitively,” said Komphela.
“If you say, ‘ah, let’s forget, let’s move on, it’s sensitive’. But you’ve got to be realistic. It’s a very sensitive issue to many of you. But one thing you should know that after a huge setback, you need to know that we need to take our lives back.”
Tomorrow’s match at Loftus is Sundowns’ first game since the passing of Ngcongca, and that’s why Komphela was spot on in his message.
