Tlhopie Motsepe rules out Mamelodi Sundowns technical team overhaul

Despite growing calls from sections of the club’s support base for the Portuguese mentor to be shown the door – largely due to concerns over an unattractive style of play – Motsepe stressed that stability remains paramount, particularly with Sundowns firmly in control of the Premiership title race. 

Speaking on Friday afternoon after the club announced a new partnership with Global Soccer Schools, Motsepe outlined the reasoning behind this stance. 

"What I said was, we want to help improve the football; we said we have a goal of achieving the Champions League and being successful in those competitions," said Motsepe.

"I don't think we said if things differed we would fire the coach, so I just wanted to clarify that, but with that being said, the performance of the team this season, you have to look at it – I suppose – in context.

"If you look at it from an entire perspective, where are we in terms of our position in the league right now? Where were we in that position last year? We were first, we're still first.

"We've qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals, so that dream is still verty much alive and we're very excited to be competing in that competition.

"Again, if you look at it from a global context, other clubs in this situation – if you put this club in a different league and you said, you're battling for a title, you're in the Champions League quarterfinals, I'm not sure if that would warrant immediate or drastic action."

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The Sundowns chairman also addressed the outcry from the club supporters.

"As a football club, we hear fans, we do hear the frustrations that they have felt at times, and it's about empathy and understanding their circumstance, and sometimes also the technical team and coach's circumstances," he added.

"The supporters come from a position where there's a lot of pressure on them from the outside world, from maybe supporters of others team, of course, it's the nature of competition.

"So the pressure that they find themselves under sometimes when we're not performing to the standard that they would hope, those frustrations are voiced and we hear them.

"But we're a long-term club, we're a club that looks at a project in terms of its entirety, and our supporters have been with us for a very long time, and we also look at our coaches and say, 'Well, we want to be with you for a long period so we can achieve our targets."