Indications are that Mamelodi Sundowns are unsure whether to offer workhorse Andile Jali, 32, a new deal or let him go.
Last week Jali’s agent Mike Makaab threw a tantrum on a radio show he co-hosts on Durban-based station Gagasi FM, saying: “I think it’s decision time for them (Sundowns). If they don’t want Andile they must let us know."
Makaab’s utterances suggest the parties may have been failing to reach agreement over a new deal, with Jali’s contract lapsing in June.
Sundowns legends Roger Feutmba and Manqoba Ngwenya want the club to retain Jali beyond this season, insisting the former Orlando Pirates midfield anchor still has a lot to offer. Feutmba is convinced Jali’s experience will always be crucial in the CAF Champions League games.
“Jali is a workaholic and every team needs that kind of a player. Remember at Sundowns it’s not only about the league but there’s Champions League as well. Jali’s experience and maturity will always be important for Sundowns in the Champions League, so I wish to see him staying.
"At 32, Jali still has a lot of good seasons left in him. He has done well and he deserves to be kept,” Feutmba, the 1998/99 PSL Players’ Player of the Season, told Sowetan yesterday.
“Shakes” as Ngwenya is affectionately known, feels Jali is cut from a different cloth. Ngwenya is also of the view that Jali can still deliver the goods for the dominant Tshwane heavyweights.
“Jali is a rare breed. It’s hard to find players with big hearts like Jali, so why would you let him go? For me Sundowns must give him a new contract. Last season he was one of the best players in the league and yesterday (Tuesday) he showed that he’s still quality [when he put in a disciplined shift in their 2-1 win over TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium]. Jali must stay,” Ngwenya reiterated.
Starting all the 22 league games he featured in, Jali had a stellar 2021/22 campaign and was nominated for the Footballer of the Season gong, before losing out to teammate Peter Shalulile.
The meteoric rise of equally classy Teboho Mokoena this season has seen Jali fall down in the pecking order, starting just seven of Sundowns’ 19 league games so far.
Sundowns told to retain ‘rare breed’ Jali as contract ends
Feutmba, Ngwenya feel midfielder still has a lot to offer
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Indications are that Mamelodi Sundowns are unsure whether to offer workhorse Andile Jali, 32, a new deal or let him go.
Last week Jali’s agent Mike Makaab threw a tantrum on a radio show he co-hosts on Durban-based station Gagasi FM, saying: “I think it’s decision time for them (Sundowns). If they don’t want Andile they must let us know."
Makaab’s utterances suggest the parties may have been failing to reach agreement over a new deal, with Jali’s contract lapsing in June.
Sundowns legends Roger Feutmba and Manqoba Ngwenya want the club to retain Jali beyond this season, insisting the former Orlando Pirates midfield anchor still has a lot to offer. Feutmba is convinced Jali’s experience will always be crucial in the CAF Champions League games.
“Jali is a workaholic and every team needs that kind of a player. Remember at Sundowns it’s not only about the league but there’s Champions League as well. Jali’s experience and maturity will always be important for Sundowns in the Champions League, so I wish to see him staying.
"At 32, Jali still has a lot of good seasons left in him. He has done well and he deserves to be kept,” Feutmba, the 1998/99 PSL Players’ Player of the Season, told Sowetan yesterday.
“Shakes” as Ngwenya is affectionately known, feels Jali is cut from a different cloth. Ngwenya is also of the view that Jali can still deliver the goods for the dominant Tshwane heavyweights.
“Jali is a rare breed. It’s hard to find players with big hearts like Jali, so why would you let him go? For me Sundowns must give him a new contract. Last season he was one of the best players in the league and yesterday (Tuesday) he showed that he’s still quality [when he put in a disciplined shift in their 2-1 win over TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium]. Jali must stay,” Ngwenya reiterated.
Starting all the 22 league games he featured in, Jali had a stellar 2021/22 campaign and was nominated for the Footballer of the Season gong, before losing out to teammate Peter Shalulile.
The meteoric rise of equally classy Teboho Mokoena this season has seen Jali fall down in the pecking order, starting just seven of Sundowns’ 19 league games so far.
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