Rulani believes God is a Chiefs supporter

In the face of their prolonged trophy drought, Mamelodi Sundowns mentor Rulani Mokwena still believes Kaizer Chiefs is endowed with holy power, saying “God must be a Chiefs supporter”.

While one would interpret Mokwena’s sentiment about Chiefs as a piece of mind games ahead of facing them in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinals at FNB Stadium on Saturday, the Sundowns coach’s comportment suggested otherwise though, when he uttered this during a press conference at the league’s headquarters in Parktown on Thursday.

“It is very true, God must be a Kaizer Chiefs supporter and there’s no greater compliment that could be given,” Mokwena said. “I wish someone would say I was a very lucky person because when someone says you are lucky, they are actually saying there’s a divinity, there’s God’s hands sometimes fall in your favour.”

Mokwena's conclusion that Chiefs were highly-favoured stem from witnessing them winning a series of titles in the 90s when he was growing up in Orlando, he revealed. 

“As a kid that grew up in Orlando West, I know, having experienced so many games of Pirates versus Chiefs first hand...I know when I’d watch so many games and I’d understand a feeling in the township when Chiefs won,” Mokwena said.

“I’d hear what the people would say, I’d see the storyline among a lot of the situations when Pirates played Chiefs or when Swallows played Chiefs and how many games...you just  saw God’s divine hands falling upon Kaizer Chiefs.”

Interestingly, Mokwena’s statement evoked a counter-response from his Chiefs counterpart Molefi Ntseki, who said Sundowns’ dominance in the league has also been boosted by luck here and there.

“We can say the same about any team that’s doing well in the league or in cup games. Look at Man City, there were games where they were very lucky. If you look at Sundowns’ seven years of winning the league, there were moments when they were very lucky,” said Ntseki.