Former Mamelodi Sundowns striker Sandile Ndlovu has come to the defence of the club's star player, Teboho Mokoena, after recent comments that have gone viral in the social media space.
In a recent media interview, Mokoena was asked about the excitement he displayed after scoring in Bafana Bafana's impressive performance against Congo-Brazzaville.
That Friday night in Gqeberha, he gave a five-star performance and scored two goals as South Africa ran out 5-0 winners.
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"I don't play a lot of games in a full stadium, so I had to enjoy it," Mokoena explained.
Some people perceived Mokoena's comments to have been aimed at his club, Sundowns.
However, Ndlovu clarified this during an interview with KickOff.com, stating, "He was talking about Bafana Bafana. We all know that stadiums are not very full when the national team plays home games."
He added, "Remember, Bafana Bafana supporters are only starting to return to the stadium now after their strong performance at AFCON. He made those comments during a Bafana Bafana press conference while wearing Bafana Bafana attire."
Ndlovu believes the Masandawana faithful will understand the Bloemfontein-born man's position, emphasizing, "When he was asked that question, he was representing Bafana Bafana, not Sundowns.
"If he had made those exact comments in a Sundowns press conference, then it would have been reasonable to think they were directed at Sundowns. But he was discussing a goal he scored while playing for Bafana Bafana, not for Sundowns."
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Bafana return to action on Tuesday for their final AFCON qualifier against South Sudan at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
Kick-off is at 18:00.