As Manqoba Mngqithi prepares for his first game against Kaizer Chiefs since being appointed Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, KickOff zooms in on how he has rubbed the Khosi Nation up the wrong way in recent times as the rivalry between the two clubs continues.
Of the traits that make Mngqithi the man and the coach he is, outspokenness is his most noticeable.
The broken record
Towards the end of the 2020/21 season, in April of 2021, Sundowns saw their 21-game unbeaten run in the PSL come to an end after suffering a 2-1 loss to a Chiefs side that was razor-thin due to a FIFA transfer ban.
The Brazilians had taken the lead via Gaston Sirino, before the visitors restored parity with a Mosa Lebusa own goal. Dumisani Zuma scored the winner.
It was a result that clearly did not go down well with Mngqithi, who told SuperSport TV in his post-match interview: "I honestly don't think this is the team that should have taken away our unbeaten record. I don't think they fought hard enough to make the game difficult for us. But I believe we lost to ourselves."
He was dubbed a sour loser by the Amakhosi fan base, who saw his comments as a display of poor sportsmanship.
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The collaboration
Then, Mngqithi almost broke the internet when, after beating Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League group stage in March 2022, he expressed how satisfying it was to have beaten a collaboration. This, after Chiefs had opened their gates at Naturena to allow the Egyptian giants to use their facilities ahead of that fixture.
"I think what makes it [the victory] sweeter for me is beating the collaboration. We remember that during the bubble [in matches Downs played against 'home' teams Bidvest Wits and Black Leopards at FNB in 2019/20], we couldn't use Chiefs' change room. Countrymen couldn't use that change room, but this change room was opened for Al Ahly now against us," revealed the former Golden Arrows coach.
"And for me, winning this match was sweeter because I felt Chiefs was being spiteful by allowing that because you could have easily taken Al Ahly to that change room that's got a ramp on the other side — that long distance.
"It's our home match, but it's not our home match when they've got a change room of a home team. So, that, for me, was very spiteful because we almost had the same scenario last season.
"But we don't talk about these things because we respect and we're patriotic. We've been in this space of the Champions League for many years now.
"Wydad Casablanca wanted to train at our facility when they were coming to play Chiefs last season, but we didn't allow Wydad to train at our facility because that would have meant that we're forming an alliance with people from outside," he added.
Needless to say, Amakhosi faithful took turns reprimanding the 53-year-old tactician for his comments, saying he it was Chiefs' choice who they allowed to use their facilities.
Taking over FNB
Then, two months later, Sundowns and Chiefs were to meet, with the former having wrapped up the defence of their title and playing only for pride.
Ahead of that battle, The Brazilians were very intentional about 'taking over' FNB Stadium, with the aim being for the Yellow Nation to outnumber the Khosi Nation in the stands, while the players did the business on the field.
Mngqithi was at the forefront of that aggressive bid to wrestle Chiefs' home turf away from the Soweto giants, as evidenced by his comments at the time.
"We're giving this game the respect it requires, which is why we also feel it's important why we urge our supporters to come in numbers because this looks like a match where we fight for the Calabash, to see who is the boss in that space," he said.
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"It's important for us to understand that this game has got those connotations now, that we have to go there with the mentality to take over the Calabash. We've done very well in that space in the Champions League, but now we're meeting the real owners in the stadium, which makes the game very important in that space.
"The league is not the most important, we need to make sure the name of Sundowns is engraved in that stadium and everybody understands that we also take it as our own venue, we are well-supported, they come in their numbers and I can tell you now, I would really love a situation where we have more supporters than Chiefs at FNB."
Verdict
From Pitso Mosimane's memorable war of words with Ernst Middendorp, to Rulani Mokwena saying God must be a Kaizer Chiefs supporter, in Mngqithi the Glamour Boys seem to have found their next great rival on the touchline, and for Saturday at 15:00, what better day and time for another exchange of fire.