TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic has rolled up his shirt to throw punches in the face of Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena in the latest episode of their feud.
Ramovic and Mokwena have had running battles that have kept them as the main characters in matters relating to the two clubs since TS Galaxy knocked out Sundowns from the Carling Knockout Cup.
READ | 'I know we want goals but…' Bafana legend's verdict on Makgopa
Mokwena revealed just a few days ago that he had called Ramovic to address the issues that he had with him which he chose not to publicise.
In return, an infuriated Ramovic has spilled the contents of that phone call from Mokwena that was pregnant with coarse words and disrespect, in a press conference ahead of his side's Nedbank Cup clash against Golden Arrows.
"I didn't come to South Africa to argue with anyone, and my goal is not to fight with anyone but to improve my team," states Ramovic, who is a German-born Serbian.
"But if someone undermines and disrespects my players like he (Mokwena) did…they are spending more than R150 million in the last two seasons for players.
"They have a squad with unbelievable quality while we must get players from the NFD and find a way to succeed.
"I will always protect my players and raise my voice for how hard they work if someone disrespects my players, the club and me.
"He came with that cheap excuse that he didn't play with seven [Bafana] players. So, it means that he disrespected his own players that played and when you see his own players they had on the field against us, top class. With this team he can also win a league.
"But if he feels that he cannot have a plan B, it also speaks to his quality and I don't want to go there, and I don't care. I care, I have principles, I have values and I care about my players, and no one will disrespect the hard work they did on this day to win against Sundowns," the coach said to journalists.
"So Rulani didn't call me after it happened, it was on the 13th of November, I raised my voice that he disrespected my players, me, my staff and the club. I didn't attack him, I just protected my players and I will not let anyone disrespect them.
"So, after a month, 29th of December, we were in the bus driving to Mbombela, and a day before that Mudau (Khuliso) came to me and asked, 'why you fight with my coach?' and I told him, 'I don't fight, and it is not my goal to fight with anybody'.
"I explained to him that he should tell his coach to stop undermining your colleagues and my players.
"So, what happened, I got a call from him during the bus drive to Mbombela.
"I pick up the phone and he started to yell, to scream and he told me, I will just make it short because he talked for 10 minutes and entertained me with a lot of nonsense.
"But what he told me, it was 'who the f*** are you to come into my f*** country and talk to me like this? Do you know who my parents are? Be careful how you talk because you are in my f*** country'.
"After that, I told him that I don't care who your parents are and then he dropped the phone. This was his high standard of morals.
"I was very disappointed because to get treated from a colleague like this is a very, very small-minded talk.
"I have principles and I have values and I stick to them.
"Principles are values count for everyone.
READ | Zungu's unfamiliar role explained
"Is disrespecting colleagues the high morals that he talks about when he went into the Bafana Bafana dressing room after the Congo game?
"I have never disrespected anyone," said Ramovic.
You must be Sign In to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!