A Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder is pushing for an exit from the club ahead of the new season, KickOff has been reliably informed.
It appeared as if Gaston Sirino and Sundowns had kissed and made up after head coach Rulani Mokwena started to feature the Uruguayan again, particularly from the start of the African Football League in October last year.
However, the 33-year-old was seemingly back to square one around April as he did not make the matchday squad in both the CAF Champions League semi-final legs against ES Tunis and did not feature in the last quarter of league games.
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Word reaching this website, from a well-placed source, is that Sirino wants to leave the club but that there are currently internal politics that are preventing him from doing so, either by termination of contract or being bought by another club.
Word going around in the corridors is that the Uruguayan angered the club's hierarchy in 2020 after leaning towards moving with former Downs coach Pitso Mosimane to Al Ahly.
Mosimane has been accused by The Brazilians, among other things in a termination of contract lawsuit before the South Gauteng High Court, of pressurizing some of the club's staff to break their contracts with the Tshwane giants after he agreed to join the Red Devils.
The ex-Bafana Bafana coach was eventually joined by former Sundowns employees Musi Matlaba as an analyst and Kabelo Rangoaga, a strength and conditioning coach at Ahly.
The courts also heard testimony by Moira Tlhagale of MT Sports Marketing and Management that Mokwena was close to moving with Mosimane to Al Ahly but changed his mind at the airport.
This publication has been led to believe that Sirino was also another employee earmarked by the decorated South African coach to join him in Egypt, but that Sundowns did not entertain bids by Ahly for the Uruguayan.
In an interview with Metro FM Sports two weeks ago, Mokwena indicated that he had lost trust with Sirino, particularly for his allegiance with Al Ahly.
"When I don't get that feeling [of trust], it's very difficult for me to play you in this team. By nature, if you express publicly, not once, not twice, three times… and you can't hold it against him unfortunately, because he's actually a good person, someone I like Gaston Sirino," Mokwena said.
"But it's difficult to get the best of someone who doesn't want to be there and when someone publicly expresses... For example, he wears an Al Ahly jersey when we play Al Ahly, twice, home and away."
The 37-year-old tactician was also asked why he can't let Sirino go if they are not going to use him.
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"I don't run the club, I don't have the autonomy [authority] and the power to make those types of decisions. It's a decision made in relation to… there are a lot of things, contracts, who wants him? The agents, clubs and a lot of things have to happen," he responded.
Sirino's contract is set to expire in June 2025.
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