The phrase "For your eyes only" took on a different meaning after a local photographer snapped away at a note that Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena had written to Khuliso Mudau during the Nedbank Cup final. KickOff zooms in on the five different ways the letter could be interpreted.
On Saturday, Mudau suffered a shoulder injury after going into a challenge with Deon Hotto in the sixth minute, from which he earned his team a penalty.
He struggled to shrug off the discomfort on his shoulder throughout the match, and when everyone might have thought Mokwena would pull him off, the coach persisted with him at right back for the full 90 minutes.
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To show just how much he needed the 29-year-old's services on the day, he took to drafting a letter on a piece of paper on the sidelines, before giving it to Bathusi Aubaas to pass it on to Mudau.
The magnitude of the pain, though, was such that even after reading the note, the Bafana Bafana international indicated he was unable to continue. His pleas fell on deaf ears.
When asked about the saga in the post-match press conference, Mokwena lifted the veil on his desperate state.
It was only later - Wednesday, to be exact - that the contents of the note were made public thanks to an alert photographer, Pitsi Vincent Matlou, popularly known as Vino Snap, who took the pictures while the note was still in Mudau's possession.
He then shared these on social media.
In the note were the words: "I said I could take a bullet for you!! I am asking you not to give up on me!!"
1. Scared to death by Pirates?
One explanation for Rulani's SOS is that he was simply scared of the party the Pirates wingers would potentially start were the aggressive Mudau to go off. His thinking may have been that the Soweto giants would bring on Relebohile Mofokeng to capitalize on Sundowns' 'disadvantage', or even switch Monnapule Saleng to that flank. He may have shown respect (and perhaps even fear) to Pirates and did what he had to do to avert danger.
2. Little faith in other players
Another argument is that the 37-year-old tactician's letter showed what little faith he has on the options he had on the bench to do the business in the crucial game. Well, to be fair, there was only one option, Thapelo Morena. He is a man for the big occasions, but maybe the coach had a different plan for him on the day, as he did bring him on to replace the injured Lucas Ribeiro Costa in the 57th minute.
3. A man on borrowed time?
The hastily written letter had 'pressure' scribbled all over it. The words 'I am asking you' and 'please' tell a story on their own. Not to mention the two exclamation marks that accompany each of the two sentences. Rulani was on bended knee. The question is: Why? Could it be he knew how much of an advantage for him winning the Nedbank Cup was when it comes to negotiations about the future with his employers? Recent public comments by the coach suggest he is worried about his job.
READ: 'I hope that Pirates gives him a 10-year contract'
4. Blackmail
Some believe this was the case of a coach emotionally blackmailing his player. If he had promised to take a bullet for him, then it means there is nothing the player cannot do to reciprocate that feeling. Anyone put in that situation, as Mudau was on Saturday, would be left with no other choice but to play through the pain.
5. Mudau's quality
A positive assessment of the scenario is that this was the biggest compliment Mokwena could have ever paid the former Black Leopards star. After all, this is a player he spends a lot of time with on the training pitch and whose qualities as a footballer he knows better than most. Different games require different players, and perhaps the thinking from the coach was that this was Mudau's type of game, come hell or high water.
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