Mamelodi Sundowns and Zebras attacker Mogakolodi Ngele who has been reduced to warming the bench at Sundowns is said to have become increasingly frustrated at his South African based club.
Ngele has been downgraded to the reserve team after being omitted from the first team in the 2017/18 ABSA Premiership season. Ngele will be rubbing shoulders with youngsters in the Multichoice Diski Challenge as he is not part of gaffer Pitso Mosimane’s plans for this season.
As reported previously by Sunday Standard that Ngele is awaiting South African permanent residence, it has since emerged that the player will only use the permit in the development exercise of the South African Premiership reserve league.
When the South African Premier Soccer League released the Sundowns official squad lists two weeks ago, it is said Ngele was surprised that he had been omitted from the 31 players registered for the season despite an exceptional performance while on loan at defending ABSA Premiership champions last season.
Sundowns retained Ngele this season after the player spent a season on loan to Bidvest Wits. An instrumental player at Wits last season, the lanky attacker is said to have been interested in plying his trade at the club where he enjoyed playing in the first team.
Sundowns however exercised their right to extend the player’s contract with one more season. Ngele signed a three year contract with Sundowns in 2014 with an option for the club to renew if they wished. Sundowns exercised the option before the start of the season. Having spent a season helping Wits to clinch the title in the last campaign, the Students as Wits is affectionately called wanted the player’s services but Sundowns allegedly rejected their proposal.
‘’Ngele is frustrated that he has not been included in the team list for the season. He is eager to play in the elite league. He has no choice as the club is assigning him to play in the Multichoice Diski Challenge. He is not the only player chopped as his team mate Cuthbert Malajila has already featured in the reserve league last week. It is not only Ngele who is frustrated as the likes of Malajila are also feeling the pinch,” a source close to Ngele said.
Ngele was loaned to Wits in the 2016/17 season after frustration in the bench when he was playing second fiddle to Learnado Castro, Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly at the time. With the departure of Dolly, Sundowns has brought into the squad the likes of George Lebese from Kaizer Chiefs and on form Percy Tau who will likely play the same position as Ngele.
Additional players that have closed gap for Ngele to make the 31 team list for the season are the likes of Keletso Makgalwa and Thendo Mukumela from the Multichoice Diski Challenge team with Sibusiso Kumalo returning to the elite league.
