On Saturday, 15 September, 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.
