adminJOHANNESBURG. — Outspoken Polokwane City midfielder Benson Mhlongo has questioned the South African Premier Soccer League’s decision not to postpone all the weekend’s Absa Premiership matches following the death of Senzo Meyiwa.
The PSL postponed only the Soweto derby due to the shattering effect Meyiwa’s death has had on his Orlando Pirates teammates, but chief executive Brand de Villiers ruled out rescheduling the rest of the fixtures.
“No, we are not going to move the matches. That is an administrative decision,” De Villiers insisted on Tuesday.
It makes it impossible for many of Meyiwa’s Bafana teammates and former colleagues like Mhlongo to attend his funeral in Umlazi on Saturday.
As the funeral gets under way in KwaZulu-Natal, Mhlongo will be at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday for his side’s league clash with Chippa United.
“They (the PSL) have the power to make the right decisions. I really thought that they would postpone the games to allow us time to mourn and give those who want to go to the funeral a chance to pay their respects. Some of us are far and you need a day or two to get to Durban.
“How do we teach each other to be united? It’s about mindset. If we lose someone, we should support each other in football.
“This is our leader we are talking about. He was the Bafana captain. This is very sad,” Mhlongo said.
Former Pirates player Lebohang Mokoena was in tears on Tuesday as he tried to make sense of the PSL’s decision. Mokoena was one of Meyiwa’s closest friends and for years a teammate at Pirates, but the Mamelodi Sundowns winger won’t get a chance to say goodbye as Sundowns play Free State Stars at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
“He was more than a teammate to me. He was my friend. We were very close and we stayed together in Mayfair years ago”. — The Sowetan.
Online Reporter