Orlando Pirates interim coach Mandla Ncikazi’s recent comments on Relebohile Mofokeng being ‘a target’ may have merit if the latest development around the youngster is anything to go by.
In a rare occurrence, Mofokeng has suffered the fate of suspension for Pirates’ match against SuperSport United, taking place at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday (19:30), after receiving his fourth booking in the side's last encounter.
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The Buccaneers drew 1-1 against TS Galaxy on Saturday, with the visitors at Orlando scoring a last-gasp equaliser through Mpho Mvelase.
In his post-match interview, Ncikazi seemed to take a swipe at the opposition for deploying tactics aimed at preventing the dangerous Mofokeng from enjoying freedom on the ball.
“I thought it was a plan of the opponents when you have the ball players we have in our team, you could see the target was Mofokeng. That’s the one bad part for me, they're not playing the game but more robust tactics to deal with such a good player,” he told SuperSport TV.
Debatable as the accusation is, fact remains that the 20-year-old received two of his four bookings this season against the side from Mpumalanga, which could imply they are one PSL team that knows how to get under the skin of the lad popularly known as ‘President Yama-2k’.
The first he got in a 2-0 Betway Premiership win in an encounter where he also scored via a delightful effort from outside the box, with the other goal coming from Thalente Mbatha, on October 29.
Then, Mofokeng found himself in the referee’s black book seven days later as the Soweto giants registered another win against Richards Bay FC, also in the league. Evidence Makgopa netted the solitary strike.
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The erstwhile DStv Diski Challenge sensation was also yellow-carded during a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chippa United with Nkosinathi Sibisi scoring the decisive headed goal. Mofokeng provided the assist from a corner kick.
The suspension gives a player who has played so much football throughout the campaign a breather, while also handing Ncikazi an opportunity to give another attacker an opportunity with nothing left to play for at this stage.
