Relive Daniel Mudau's Infamous Slap On Sundowns Teammate

Throwback Thursday: Taking a look back at Mamelodi Sundowns legend, Daniel Mudau's infamous slap at a cup final back in 2001. 

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The story

Before Will Smith at the Oscars, South African football had Daniel Mudau to reference for scandalous physical assaults on big stages.

The 2001 BP Top 8 final saw a thriller between the Glamour Boys and Masandawana, which ended 2-2 and resulted in a 7-6 Chiefs win in a penalty shoot-out.

Brian Baloyi was the hero on the day as he saved Sundowns' seventh penalty on the day, taken by Michael Manzini, who was injured. Unfortunately, the match is heavily remembered for it's unsavoury aftermath.

After the match, Mudau, who was the captain of Sundowns at the time, slapped Charles Mothlohi following an argument on the pitch and it was believed it was because he had refused to take the penalty that was missed by Manzini. 

Motlohi was seen attempting to retaliate before Mudau got pulled away. "Mambush" later made a public apology for the incident after being charged by the PSL for bringing the league into disrepute.

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The infamous slap has been reshared on Twitter/X, with many users on the app siding with "Mambush" on the matter. The 56-year-old has been apologising for that incident since and his most recent reflection on the issue, Mudau mentioned how the experienced humbled him.

"The questions around this day always come up and I never stop apologising. I respect Motlohi a lot. It was a very stressful time. It was the heat of the moment; I am still apologetic about that day to his children, family, both our fans and everyone who knows him. This experience humbled me and I will never stop saying how sorry I am," said Mudau to the Sowetan.

"Right now, we have a good relationship, and we communicate a lot on the phone. He knows that I regret slapping him like that," added Mudau in a piece published by the Sowetan in 2023.

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