{"id":76225,"date":"2024-11-11T17:04:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T17:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/sundowns-coach-mngqithi-worried-about-pitch-timing-in-carling-final"},"modified":"2024-11-11T17:04:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T17:04:00","slug":"sundowns-coach-mngqithi-worried-about-pitch-timing-in-carling-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/sundowns-coach-mngqithi-worried-about-pitch-timing-in-carling-final","title":{"rendered":"Sundowns coach Mngqithi worried about pitch, timing in Carling final"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>Mamelodi Sundowns will be heavy favourites to brush aside top-flight rookies Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout final, but coach Manqoba Mngithi admits two levellers could be the pitch at Free State Stadium and his team losing players in the build-up due to the Fifa break.<\/p>\n

Downs secured Mngqithi his first cup final as sole head coach of the club, beating Marumo Gallants 2-0 in Sunday\u2019s semifinal at Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein.<\/p>\n

Magesi continued their dramatic run in the competition, seeing off Richards Bay away in Durban in their semifinal on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Clinton Larsen\u2019s battlers, who shocked Orlando Pirates in the opening round then got past last year\u2019s losing finalists TS Galaxy in the quarters, will take any levellers they can get in the November 23 final.<\/p>\n

Mngqithi said he will relish the atmosphere created by the renowned football supporters in the Free State capital, who have been starved of top-flight football since Bloemfontein Celtic were sold to Royal AM in 2021.<\/p>\n

Marumo, formerly based in Limpopo, bought the Premiership franchise of Moroka Swallows in the off-season and relocated to Bloemfontein, where they have been enthusiastically adopted by the city\u2019s football fans.<\/p>\n

Downs\u2019 coach, though, expressed mild concern that the pitch at the Free State Stadium, a rugby venue, is not as good as the surface at Dr Molemela Stadium, a football venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always nice to play in Bloemfontein because of the atmosphere you get,\u201d Mngqithi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just I\u2019m not sure of the quality of the pitch at the venue where the final will be played. Because I think this pitch [at Dr Molemela] was much better, based on the history I have of these stadiums.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise I like this environment because you are guaranteed supporters. Whoever you are playing against, Celtic supporters will always come. I really like the way they have embraced Marumo in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downs will also have 10 players away during the coming Fifa break \u2014 eight of them in the Bafana Bafana squad that needs a win from their last two matches away against Uganda on Saturday or at Cape Town Stadium against South Sudan on November 19 to reach the next Africa Cup of Nations.<\/p>\n

This means Mngqithi will have his full squad to work with, after a day\u2019s travel and rest on November 20, from November 21, so can only incorporate his national team stars in training for the Thursday and Friday before the Saturday final.<\/p>\n

The Fifa break will not disadvantage Magesi as they don\u2019t have national team players to lose in their preparations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEight is an understatement because we will also have Peter Shalulile with Namibia and Divine Lunga with Zimbabwe,\u201d Mngqithi said, asked about losing his Bafana stars in the build-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the area where the final is put is fair for anyone \u2014 not immediately after a Fifa break.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are playing Sekhukhune [in the league on November 30] \u2014 we could have put the final there and maybe it would have been better.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what can you do? You have to make do with what you have and accept that disadvantages and blessings always go together.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you will blame the league for putting the final there, but they also put it there without the knowledge that we would be in the final.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s scoreline flattered Sundowns. Coach Dan Malesela\u2019s Gallants perhaps shaded the chances, conceding from a soft penalty for handball (slotted by Lucas Ribeiro in the 53rd minute) and then a final-seconds second strike by substitute Neo Maema in the 94th.<\/p>\n

Mngqithi praised Marumo as a \u201cvery good team\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know in South Africa sometimes you look at the stature of the side and not really the detail in performance. I don\u2019t think they were in the semifinal by mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Africa<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. Mamelodi Sundowns will be heavy favourites to brush aside top-flight rookies Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout final, but coach Manqoba Mngithi admits two levellers could be the pitch at Free State Stadium and his team losing players in the build-up due to the Fifa break. Downs secured Mngqithi his first cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":76224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[274,315,275],"class_list":["post-76225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-south-africa","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nSundowns coach Mngqithi worried about pitch, timing in Carling final - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/sundowns-coach-mngqithi-worried-about-pitch-timing-in-carling-final\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sundowns coach Mngqithi worried about pitch, timing in Carling final\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – South-Africa. Mamelodi Sundowns will be heavy favourites to brush aside top-flight rookies Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout final, but coach Manqoba Mngithi admits two levellers could be the pitch at Free State Stadium and his team losing players in the build-up due to the Fifa break. 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