Ex-Mamelodi Sundowns player Andile Jali makes a damning claim on fallout with Mokwena – ‘No, I have kids, wife & family!’

South African midfielder Andile Jali has opened up on what caused a strained relationship between him and the then Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena.

The duo worked together at Masandawana before the now retired player left at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. At the time, the player was limited to game town at the club.

Before hanging his boots, jali played for the now-defunct Moroka Swallows and later on Chippa United.

Where did it go wrong for Andile Jali at Mamelodi Sundowns?

In his interview with the Arena Sports Show, the now 35-year-old explained where the tide turned.

“Ah, that one. Me and him, yeah, we had fun, but at the end, we didn’t have fun,” Jali stated.

“Because I saw that he is becoming more to be a father to a person that is old. So you can’t be a father to me. No, I have kids, I have my family, I have a wife.

“Now he wants to be my father again. No, he can’t be. I want to work. I can be at work, but you can’t be a father! You want to tell me what to do? I’m old, and I know what to do, I know what not to do,” he added.

What Mokwena said about Andile Jali & Co. after Mamelodi Sundowns’ exit

“I heard their dads were crying, and I speak to their wives, just to try to calm them down, the wives start crying,” Mokwena told MSW in an initial interview as quoted by FARPost.

“From Tsitsi, Grant Kekana’s son, to Khumo, Aubrey Modiba’s son, to Lerumo, Teboho Mokoena’s son, to Sifiso, Themba Zwane’s son, I know their families, I know the wives, the kids, I played with these players’ kids, it’s incredible.

“From Tsitsi, Grant Kekana’s son, to Khumo, Aubrey Modiba’s son, to Lerumo, Teboho Mokoena’s son, to Sifiso, Themba Zwane’s son, I know their families, I know the wives, the kids, I played with these players’ kids, it’s incredible,” the Al-Ittihad tactician concluded.