Mamelodi Sundowns got caught out like naughty schoolboys passing notes in class in two separate, and rather bizarre, incidents during their 2-0 win over SuperSport United in Saturday's Tshwane derby at Atteridgeville.

Coach Pitso Mosimane tried to feign innocence when questioned about it afterwards, but both instances were caught on camera and are reflective of a growing trend by clubs to force stoppages so they can have timeouts for sideline instructions.

On Saturday, Sundowns assistant coach Rhulani Mokoena handed a little scrap of paper to Bongani Zungu in the final 10 minutes, and Zungu ran all the way back to his goalkeeper Denis Onyango to hand it over.

Within seconds, Onyango had gone down on one knee, seeking the ref to stop the game while he fastened his bootlaces. The rest of the Sundowns players ran across to the touchline to meet in a huddle with Mosimane for instructions.

"I don't sit with a pen, I don't sit with nothing when I'm there on the bench. People who write are not me. I don't know what he wrote, You must ask him [Mokoena]," Mosimane said afterwards.

"No, don't shoot me, shoot the guy who wrote notes," he then added as reporters expressed their disbelief in his explanation.

"I don't know, I didn't see but we were messing around on the left hand side with back heels, and childish play, I wasn't happy and I have to coach."

There are no rules against what Sundowns did but basketball-style stoppages run contrary to the spirit of the game. In recent years Fifa has tweaked the rules to try and speed up the game and limit time-wasting, especially around injuries.

But the rules state that when a goalkeeper is injured he, unlike an outfield player, does not have to leave the field but that the game must stop for him to complete his treatment before continuing.

It's unlikely Sundowns will face any sanctions from the PSL.