Cape Times E-dition

‘Downs to support Shalulile in quest to break record

ESHLIN VEDAN eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za

MAMELODI Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has said that his team will support Peter Shalulile in his bid to break the all-time Premiership goalscoring record, but insists that it is not the most important thing.

With 22 league goals to his name, Shalulile is destined to win the Golden Boot award this season. However, he will need to score a hat-trick in the Brazilians’ last league game of the season against Royal AM tomorrow to tie Collins Mbesuma’s 2004/05 record of 25 goals and will need four goals to break the record.

“We have to support all players and make sure that the environment is suitable to helping them achieve what they want to. Everyone is talking about the records and we are happy that he (Shalulile) is the top scorer. We will support him if needs be in the upcoming game. If we get a free-kick, we will let him take it. For him to break the record will be a legacy that he can leave behind. He is still young enough to break the record in years to come,” Mngqithi said.

Mngqithi also paid tribute to Royal AM who have been one of the surprise packages this season. The Durban-based club will be hungry to get points against Sundowns, as they look to secure second spot. Should John Maduka’s team finish runners-up, they will qualify for next season’s CAF Champions League. This will be an impressive achievement when considering that this is their first season in the top flight.

Mngqithi also believes that the recent promotion of Royal AM’s provincial rivals Richards Bay to the top flight next season could lead to a gradual power shift in South African football from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal.

“Royal AM have done tremendously well. Nobody thought they would be in the top eight considering the turmoil that happened at the start of the season. They have raised the flag of KwaZulu-Natal. It’s very big for KZN to have another team in the top three. With Richards Bay now having won promotion, KZN have five teams in the league. They might now stand a chance of challenging for the championship. Gauteng teams regularly challenge for the championship because they don’t have to travel as much. Coastal teams regularly have to be out of the province,” he said.

SPORT

en-za

2022-05-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://capetimes.pressreader.com/article/281964611328246

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