'This is failure I am prepared to take,' says Sundowns coach Mokwena as he vows to continue trying to win the Champions League

• Published date: 27 April 2024
• Author: Mahlatse Mphahlele
• Publication title: TimesLIVE (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Esperance beat Sundowns 10 in the semifinal second leg on Friday at a packed Loftus through a second half goal from substitute attacker Raed Bouchniba to successfully negotiated safe passage to the final against Al Ahly with a 20 aggregate win

It was heartbreak for Mokwena and the Sundowns who had high hopes that the Brazilians will overturn a 10 first leg deficit and return to the final for the fist time since the club won the competition in 2016.

"I made a promise to the Sundowns fans that we will win it and I am man of integrity," he said after the match which was halted for an hour in the first half due to rain and lighting.

"I want to be at this club, I signed a fouryear contract even though I had bigger clubs making offers. I made a choice to stay at Sundowns, I didn't make that choice because I was emotional but it was after a lot of deliberations with my family, with the Motspe family and the players.

"My intentions are to be here, to stay and do my best every single day to try and deliver the Champions League. But football is business and results oriented and I don't make those decisions about which coach stays and which coach goes.

"But when I am here the club will know that I will give 150 percent and if it is not enough like today (Friday), I will give 200 percent the next time."

Mokwena suffered similar disappointment last year when Sundowns were knocked out of the Champions League at this stage by Wydad Casablanca and he said football is cruel.

"It is experience or maturity, I don't know what it is but I also have an understanding that this game of football came be cruel. I have...