Mokoena urges fans to stop blaming Saleng over Sundowns absence

Former Orlando Pirates winger William ‘Naughty’ Mokoena has criticised supporters who have blamed Monnapule Saleng after the Mamelodi Sundowns player was separated from the rest of the squad.

Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso told the media on Saturday evening that Saleng was not currently part of the group because he had allegedly breached the club’s rules and dressing-room values.

Cardoso made the comments after Sundowns beat Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-finals. He said the issues involving the 28-year-old were “systematic” and referred to several incidents involving the former Pirates winger.

According to Cardoso, Saleng was included in an important squad list for the second leg of the CAF Champions League final but declined to take part. The coach also alleged that the left-footed attacker refused to travel with the rest of the team for their pre-season tour of Austria.

The situation has prompted a range of reactions from supporters. Some Pirates fans, particularly on social media, have argued that Saleng’s current difficulties prove Orlando Pirates were right to sideline him and that the player himself has been the source of the problems.

Mokoena rejected that view and urged supporters not to treat footballers as convenient targets when disagreements arise between players and clubs.

“You know football is not about making other people scapegoats. Let’s stop treating players like they are things to play with, they are human beings, they have families,” Mokoena said, speaking to KickOff.

He also criticised fans who turn against players after they leave a club they support.

“So we (fans) enjoy destroying other people’s careers? You know this thing of supporting a team and when a player leaves, you speak bad, no, it doesn’t work like that.

“You’re forgetting that he is working for a family, now we want to make him suffer just because he left a team that we love? You know as supporters we’re not careful when we speak, we just paint people (with the same brush), we like to destroy other people. It’s very disappointing,” Mokoena said.

Saleng, who was born in Bloemhof, joined Mamelodi Sundowns after his spell with Orlando Pirates, where he had previously established himself as a prominent winger. His current absence from the Sundowns squad has led to questions about his commitment, while Cardoso’s comments have brought the circumstances into sharper focus.

Mokoena said supporters often underestimate the pressures experienced by professional footballers and warned that public criticism can have wider consequences for players and their families.

“You know I often hear people and young kids saying they desire to play football professionally and I say they don’t know what’s happening there. If they knew, they would hate football,” Mokoena added.