Rhulani Mokwena digs at Hunt: ‘I’m not allowed to hug players’

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena has made fun of his SuperSport United counterpart Gavin Hunt’s remarks on coaches who hug players after a loss. Speaking to SuperSport Television on December 6 2023, Mokwena said he is not allowed to hug players. He said this in a post-match interview after Sundowns’ 1-0 win over AmaZulu in a DStv Premiership match. Mokwena seemed to make a thinly-veiled dig at the SuperSport United trainer.

ALSO READ: “I hate these coaches who hug players, it’s all for show” – Hunt

WHAT TRIGGERED RHULANI MOKWENA’S RESPONSE TO GAVIN HUNT’S REMARKS

It all started last week when Hunt made a scathing attack on coaches who embrace their players after their teams have lost. “When they lose, are they hugging their players? No, you don’t see them hugging the players,” told Peter Du Toit on his YouTube Channel, This Is Football Africa last week.

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“So, we’ve got to have a good relationship. Yes, we’ve got to have a good environment where we’re all working towards a common goal. I don’t like to be false with a player. I see this guy; I never saw Sir Alex Ferguson hug his players.”

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DID GAVIN HUNT MENTION NAMES?

The 59-year-old SuperSport coach refused to mention the names of the coaches he was referring to. “I hate these coaches, and I won’t mention names. They hug the players. It’s all for show. It’s all a lot of bulls**t,” Hunt said.

ALSO READ: Mamelodi Sundowns name starting lineup for AmaZulu clash

WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT OF RHULANI MOKWENA’S RESPONSE?

It was in that context that Mokwena seemed to respond to Hunt during the post-match interview. A SuperSport Television presenter had, at first, acknowledged that the Sundowns mentor had given Themba Zwane a hug. The man-of- the-match Zwane had just finished granting SuperSport Television a post-match interview on the pitch before paving the way for Mokwena to take his turn.

“[Themba Zwane] is getting a hug from his coach Rhulani Mokwena,” the pitch-side presenter said. In a response, Mokwena giggled then said: “Did you just say I gave Themba Zwane a hug? I am not allowed to give hugs to players.”

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WHERE DO SUNDOWNS STAND ON THE DSTV PREMIERSHIP LOG TABLE?

The 36-year-old mentor made the most of the post-match interview at the King Zwelithini Stadium where Sundowns beat Usuthu. The win extended Masandawana’s lead at the summit of the DStv Premiership log table. Lucas Ribeiro Costa scored the only goal of the game for the DStv Premiership holders. The leaders took their tally to a perfect 30 points from 10 games. In the other camp, AmaZulu sit 12^th with 15 points from 12 matches.