Rulani Mokwena slams Pyramids striker Fiston Mayele over visa comments

The Congolese forward was a notable absentee when his Egyptian outfit faced the Brazilians in their CAF Champions League group stage fixture at Loftus Stadium two weeks ago after his paperwork didn’t arrive in time to travel. 

Mayele had taken to social media before the second leg on Tuesday night in Cairo to accuse Sundowns, and Mokwena has now responded. 

"The Fiston Mayele story I don't want to get into because I didn't even talk about it in my prematch with the players. I didn't even mention it, so for me, football is played on the pitch, we don't play football on Twitter. We are a club that holds itself in high regard," said Mokwena. 

The match in Tshwane finished goalless, while midfielder Teboho Mokoena fired home early in the first half to hand Sundowns a narrow 1-0 victory in Egypt on Tuesday night.  The coach says Mayele’s allegations are baseless. 

"We try to win and win the right way. And work very hard for everything we receive. For him to make those allegations, for me, is unfair, but also unjust, because he's got no validity and it is extremely disrespectful to a football club like ours, which prides itself on ethics, humility, and respect, but also on fair play." 

Sundowns moved up to second place behind log leaders TP Mazembe based on head-to-head, following the win against Pyramids.  Mokwena believes his charges put up a polished performance.