Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has shed light on the context of the viral note he gave to Khuliso Mudau in the Nedbank Cup final loss to the Orlando Pirates last weekend.

The defender got injured early in the first half but was forced to continue playing with a strapped shoulder for the entire game, although he appeared to be feeling some pain. In a bid to encourage his player to continue fighting for the team, Mokwena wrote him a note, read: “I said I would take a bullet for you; I am asking you not to give up on me.”.

The note went viral on social media after it was released by sports photographer Vincent Matlou. popularly known as “Vino Snap” four days after the Nedbank Cup encounter, prompting Mokwena to respond.

“Khuliso Mudau was going through something very emotional and personal the day before, and like I would do with all my players, I reassured him that he’s got my support.” Mokwena told Supersport on PSL heroes.
“I reassured him that I’d fight any fight for him and with him, and I would take a bullet for him. Those were my words. I do believe that I would take a bullet for a lot of my players because they fight on the pitch, and they give me their all.

“Funny enough, the day after he got injured, the doctors told me there was no damage to the ligaments. It was just a pop of the ball and socket of the shoulder, and that is not necessarily a very serious injury for a sportsman, they just had to put the shoulder back together, but I could see in his eyes, that it was extremely painful.

“That [note] is in relation to the connection and relationship between me and my players, and these are conversations that happen a lot between players and coaches. It just happened that I couldn’t convey the message to him because of the noise in the stadium and him playing on the other side, playing right back, so I wrote a note,” he added.

The 37-year-old Downs mentor reserved special praise for “Sailor” as he continued to weigh in on the matter and says the loyalty shown by the player means a lot to him. “For me, it’s nothing; football is also about psychology and relationships, and for Khuliso to show me loyalty, commitment and dedication to the club and to me as the leader of the group It humbles me, and it’s something I’m very proud of him for doing.

“He’s going through a lot personally, and for him to trust me with his personal issues in his life is also something that humbles me a lot. I’m very proud that he was able to play and still perform the way he did in a cup final with the pain that he had,” concluded Mokwena.