Mamelodi Sundowns manager Rulani Mokwena has called out some South Africans who support football teams through gambling rather than their love of the game.
Mokwena spoke to reporters about betting ahead of Masandawana’s last game against Esperance.
He said the economic climate in the country, where there is massive unemployment, had led some people to try to make money by betting on soccer teams.
“You find people who are artificially supporting the club not because they support the club from their heart … but because the Betway slip is saying if Sundowns wins, you will make an extra couple of cents that can feed the family,” he said.
Mokwena defended fans’ decision to use the game to put food on their tables while also recognising the problems that come from it.
“[When someone] says, ‘Hey, let me go and put Sundowns to win’. Now, when Sundowns doesn’t win, it’s a problem because the guy now is saying, ‘How am I going to feed my family?’,” he added.
Sundowns were knocked out of the Champions League after a 2-0 aggregate loss to Esperance.
They next take on TS Galaxy in the league on Monday night before facing Kaizer Chiefs on Thursday.
Pictured above: Rulani Mokwena.
Image source: @ms_sharpeville
