WATCH: Orlando Pirates tormentor Dieumerci Mukoko mobbed on return to Mzansi

St Eloi Lupopo defender Dieumerci Mukoko caused a stir on his return to South Africa, one month since he tormented Orlando Pirates in the CAF Champions League.

Mukoko, who is serving a two-match suspension over his antics against Pirates in the second preliminary round, was part of the Lupopo delegation that travelled to South Africa for their opening group stage game against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

When he arrived at Loftus Versfeld for the match with the rest of his teammates, Mukoko was mobbed by Sundowns fans, who were keen to take photos with him while others wanted their autographs signed.

Sundowns fans wanted a piece of Mukoko

Both young and old fans wanted a piece of the Congolese right-back after his ‘hatchet job’ contributed to Pirates’ elimination from the Champions League.

Stewards had a hard time whisking Mukoko away from the excited fans who made it difficult for him to get back to the team bus as the photo opportunity requests seemed to overwhelm the defender.

During the return leg of the second preliminary round between Pirates and Lupopo, the Soweto giants fought back from a 3-0 first leg defeat to win 3-0 at the Orlando Stadium for 3-3 on aggregate but lost on post-match penalties.

What made the Lupopo star a ‘fan favourite’?

However, it was Mukoko’s antics that made headlines as the full-back went down at every contact, started fist fights and headbutted Pirates’ Masindi Nemtajela before making a throat-slitting gesture.

He, however, remained on the pitch while his teammate, Chris Sumbu, was mistakenly shown a red card in what was an ill-tempered match.

He was, however, handed a two-match ban ahead of the group stages with his team starting with a 3-1 loss to Sundowns on Saturday.