Sundowns striker Brayan Leon told to focus on training rather than social media

Brayan Leon has been advised to limit his use of social media as he attempts to rediscover his scoring form at Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Colombian arrived at Sundowns as a big-money signing in January and made an immediate impact, scoring 10 goals in 15 league appearances. His form has since dipped, with Leon finding the net only three times this term.

He has played 555 minutes and is averaging approximately one goal every 185 minutes. His most recent goal came against AmaZulu FC in August.

The striker’s activity on social media has prompted discussion over whether it could be affecting his performances. Augusto Palacios, who previously coached Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, believes players must take responsibility for maintaining the habits needed to perform consistently.

“Players are responsible for their private lives. A footballer needs three things: good training, good nutrition and adequate rest,” Palacios told KickOff.

“Missing scoring opportunities can result from insufficient practice, which is why we have specific individual training. He needs to work harder. We should not simply assume that a player’s struggles are caused by his private life. When a player scores regularly, supporters tend to expect him to score in every game.

“Leon is therefore missing chances because he needs more practice, not for any other reason. He is a good player.”

Palacios, known as ‘Njenje’, was strict about mobile-phone use during his coaching career and said he did not support players using social-media platforms.

“Personally, I disagree with players using social media. I disagree with Facebook, Instagram and similar platforms. The only app a player should have is WhatsApp, for the team group. Social media is one of the greatest risks to players,” he added.

He also said he would not permit players to take their phones into a stadium, recalling an incident from his time at Orlando Pirates.

“During my time at Orlando Pirates, one of my players’ fathers passed away while we were in camp for the Soweto Derby. Fortunately, we had collected the players’ phones. Phil Setshedi was the team manager. In an emergency, players knew their families should contact either Setshedi or me.

“On Friday night, Setshedi received a call from the family of the player whose father had passed on. We informed the chairman, who said, ‘No, I will handle this.’ He said we should not tell the player that his father had passed away because the news might affect his focus on the match and cause him to collapse even.”