Rulani Mokwena back to haunt Mamelodi Sundowns in high-stakes CAF showdown

On a day traditionally reserved for lovers, when roses change hands and gestures of love are exchanged, there will be no romance at Loftus Versfeld. Instead, tension will thicken the air as pride, history, and a place in the CAF Champions League knockout stages will be on the line.

There will be no chocolates or roses on offer, only the possibility of heartbreak. Mamelodi Sundowns’ favourite son returns, and sentiment will count for nothing. Rulani Mokwena comes back to familiar territory not as a friend, but as a threat — plotting the downfall of a former home that is already wobbling.

It is a bittersweet narrative, but football is unforgiving, and when the lines are drawn, it will simply be survival of the strongest.

Sundowns’ season has been one to remember — and not always for the right reasons. This weekend’s decisive group-stage clash against Mokwena’s MC Alger could yet place an unexpected twist on their campaign. Only time will tell whether it brings redemption or deepens the turmoil.

The club’s ambition has never been a secret. The Brazilians have chased a second Champions League crown through sustained investment and elite-level recruitment, and with those resources comes expectation. By their own lofty standards, their continental return has fallen short of what was envisioned.

Back-to-back semi-final appearances were followed by a step forward into last season’s final, yet even that achievement felt insufficient. With the standards they have set, progress alone is rarely enough. Merely matching past success does little to quiet the noise, and even reaching another final this season might not be sufficient to prevent instability.

Much like the group-stage campaign this season, the road to last year’s final was far from convincing. As the old saying goes, history remembers results, not performances — but the cost of accepting mediocrity purely for outcomes is steep. Over time, identity fades, and suddenly the fear factor that once surrounded a dominant force begins to dissolve.

That decline has not been confined to the continent. Domestically, Orlando Pirates have lived up to their tag, seized control of the ship, and now lead the title race — threatening to end the Brazilians’ eight-year reign at the summit of the Betway Premiership.

The sidelining of Mokwena continues to raise questions to this day. A single league defeat across an entire season and a tight Champions League semi-final exit to Esperance de Tunis — decided by two slim 1-0 margins — hardly suggested failure. Instead, the decision brought an upward-trending project to a sudden halt, threatening to undo seasons of careful building.

The disappointment was understandable, expectations perhaps unmet, but even the most casual observer could see the team was building towards something meaningful. That second continental star to add to the 2016 triumph felt inevitable.

Instead, one of South Africa’s brightest coaching minds now plies his trade in Algeria — and Mokwena may yet deepen his former side’s continental wounds.

Loftus Versfeld, once a fortress where victories flowed effortlessly, has lately become a venue of groans and frustration, with sections of the faithful openly calling for Miguel Cardoso’s head. Mokwena’s return only adds fuel to the fire, particularly among those who still believe the former coach was the right man to lead the club forward.

Further intrigue has been added by the suspension of performance analyst Mario Masha amid allegations of leaking information to Mokwena’s camp ahead of the clash. The truth behind those claims remains unclear, but the timing ensures the fixture hardly needed extra spice.

The equation is simple. Victory for Sundowns would see them leapfrog MC Alger into the top two, regardless of the outcome in the other group match, as they trail Mokwena’s side by a single point. Al Hilal sit at the top with eight points, MC Alger follow, while Saint-Eloi Lupopo remain bottom on five points.

With everything still to play for and no margin for error, the stakes are clear. Love may rule the calendar — but at Loftus, only survival will matter.