Wiliete coach speaks up on alleged assault from Sundowns staff – ‘It was bad aggression’

Wiliete SC coach Beto Bianchi has addressed reports that he was assaulted by a Mamelodi Sundowns technical bench member during their CAF Champions League clash.

Sundowns and Wiliete played out an entertaining goalless draw in Angola last Sunday but what made more headlines is what happened after.

Following the game, a scuffle ensued just as both sides were heading to the dressing room and it has been alleged that a member of the Sundowns coaching staff physically assaulted Bianchi.

The coach was taken to hospital and failed to turn up for media duties, leaving his assistant to take over the responsibilities.

Did Sundowns staff assault Bianchi?

“It was not a good situation for football,” Bianchi told KickOff while recalling the ugly incident.

“As professionals in the game, we always know there will be controversy, it can affect the game, and they have to avoid going to aggression. It was bad aggression.”

Bianchi says the person who assaulted him had intended to harm him as he targeted a delicate part of his body.

“I couldn’t even defend myself,” he added. “It was actually a bad attack that was supposed to affect the other side of the body; that was supposed to be on the private part of the body,” he stated while exonerating Sundowns from blame.

Wiliete coach blames ‘one person’

“The club, Mamelodi Sundowns, has no responsibility for that action. All members of the staff of Sundowns are not guilty, it was the case of one person who didn’t act as professional,” said Bianchi who says he has put the incident behind him.

“We have taken the problem up. On my side, [it] is already forgotten. Now we are focusing on the sport that is football,” he said.

Bianchi’s team will hope that there are no further incidents as the two sides face off in the second leg at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.