On Saturday, Mamelodi Sundowns beat Orlando Pirates 1-0 in a closely contested match at Orlando Stadium. However, the victory was overshadowed by a video that surfaced on social media, showing Sundowns players and technical staff being denied entry at the stadium.
The video, posted by the Masandawana Fan Vlog and credited to @OscarNtsintsi87, showed coach David Notoane and the Sundowns players who were not in the matchday squad, as well as technical team members who were not on the bench, being blocked from entering the door which leads to the dressing rooms by a Pirates official. According to an insider, the incident happened after the match and not before, as many believed.
The team was apparently trying to enter the dressing room to celebrate the victory. The insider revealed that the group were not given access and were turned away.
What a disgusting football club
| @OscarNtsintsi87 pic.twitter.com/WIgQAelnJk
— Masandawana Fan Vlog (@MSFCfanVlog) February 4, 2023
“Sundowns decided to leave it and those players did not go in. It was extra players. One is not privy to the PSL rules. I think these things are arranged before the game, so maybe there was an issue with accreditations and all that. They (Pirates) have their own processes,” the Downs insider explained.
Orlando Pirates have since released a statement, confirming that an alignment meeting was held with Sundowns on Thursday, 02 February, to address all aspects of the upcoming match.
The statement further stated that it was agreed that only working staff with a valid 2022/2023 PSL accreditation would be allowed access onto the competitions area and pitch. The statement concluded by saying that Pirates and Sundowns have always had an open relationship where the two clubs can communicate in the event of any issues that may arise.
The victory saw Sundowns’ Cassius Mailula score the winning goal, taking him just two goals behind DStv Premiership top scorer Peter Shalulile.
