Former Orlando Pirates winger Lebohang Mokoena says he has been unable to contact Monnapule Saleng after the Mamelodi Sundowns player blocked his number, as concerns grow over the 28-year-old’s continued absence from the first team.
Saleng has not featured for Masandawana this season after being separated from the senior squad. His future at the club remains uncertain while Sundowns deal with the disciplinary issues surrounding the talented winger.
Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso said last week that Saleng had repeatedly breached the club’s rules and the values expected within the dressing room.
Cardoso also said Saleng failed to report for Sundowns’ second CAF Champions League match and did not attend a team camp. The player was subsequently removed from the squad.
Mokoena, who previously played for Orlando Pirates, said it had been difficult to watch the situation develop and stressed that Saleng was a good person despite the problems surrounding him.
“It’s painful because Saleng is a good boy. It’s a stage; we also had players who were problematic just like Saleng. We are trying to protect him, but it came to a stage where we can no longer control him. Even coach Cardoso can’t manage him in the changeroom,” Mokoena said.
Speaking on SoccerBeat, Mokoena said he believed Saleng’s absence had also damaged his chances of representing Bafana Bafana at the World Cup.
“It has also affected me because this kid has missed out on the World Cup. Things were lined up for him nicely. He is a very quiet, skinny boy who doesn’t talk much,” he added.
Mokoena said he formed a close bond with Saleng during the winger’s loan spell at Swallows in 2022. That relationship led him to try to offer support as the player’s difficulties at Sundowns continued.
However, Mokoena revealed that his recent efforts to reach Saleng had failed.
“I tried to call him, he blocked me and I can’t reach him. What I can say is bring your head back to the game and ask yourself what made you fall in love with football,” Mokoena said.
The former Pirates favourite said he and others had tried to protect Saleng, but suggested the situation had reached a point where they could no longer influence the player’s decisions.
Mokoena also indicated that the problems were not necessarily unique to Saleng, recalling that other players had experienced similar difficulties during their careers. He nevertheless acknowledged that even Cardoso had been unable to manage the winger within the Sundowns dressing room.
Before joining The Brazilians, Saleng had gone more than a year without playing for Pirates and was eventually sent out on loan. His spell at Swallows in 2022 helped him establish a relationship with Mokoena, but his current isolation from Sundowns’ first team has left his club future unresolved.
