It took Thembinkosi Lorch a few months to win his first DStv Premiership title, but his season with Mamelodi Sundowns ended on a bad note and it was self-inflicted. A video circulating on social media, featuring the player nicknamed 'Nyoso' and two unidentified women, is believed to have gotten the former Orlando Pirates star in trouble with the hierarchy at Chloorkop. The Siya crew digs to get more information on how the league champions deal with players who bring the club into disrepute.
What really happened
There used to be a joke in the football industry that if you work at Mamelodi Sundowns, you should always have a blazer and tie in your car. This was during the time Patrice Motsepe was president of the club and meetings could be called at any time, even at night. For players, it's a little different.
Many who spoke to this publication have detailed how much life changes when you join the Tshwane giants. The life of drinking and partying gets reduced significantly because of how they operate at Chloorkop. So, with Thembinkosi Lorch being in the public eye for the wrong reasons recently with a video on social media with two unidentified women, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, it's believed it did not go down well with the bosses at Sundowns.
The club is understood to be protecting him in public but have fully laid down the law with him behind the scenes. At the time the video went viral, the season had not ended, as Sundowns still had to play in the Nedbank Cup final. Head coach Rhulani Mokwena revealed that Lorch was injured, which is why he was not available for the final.
But a former Sundowns player has suggested that they were doing this to protect him in the public eye and that missing out on the Nedbank Cup decider was punishment for the player.
"In a situation like this, they do not fine a player. Coaches are different. You saw that he (Lorch) was not there for the final? But they are trying to make a story that he is injured and stuff like that. That's the way of punishment. They have so many players at Sundowns, so if a player is misbehaving, he should wait for the right time to come back. It will be determined by the coaches as well. Remember there was an issue with Sipho (Mbule) and AJ (Andile Jali) last season?" a source told Soccer Laduma.
"In situations like this, you don't play for a bit, but you still train with the first team."
According to information received by the Siya crew, Sundowns always want their players to uphold a certain standard in the public eye, as the Tshwane giants are big on discipline and making sure that the image of the club is properly maintained.
At Sundowns, footballers are considered to be 9-5 employees. When the team is not playing or travelling around the country and continent, there is a lot of work that gets done in terms of video analysis and corrections. Mokwena has admitted to calling players late at night to talk about corrections or for them to watch certain matches, a clear sign that players have to spend most of their time indoors rather than on the streets.
While players are not treated like robots with a non-existent social life, the Siya crew understands that the club expects players to live disciplined lives. In their analysis before signing a new player, Sundowns also check the behaviour of the player and see if they will be able to manage him or not.
This publication is in possession of the handbook Sundowns gives out to players and staff members to ensure they adhere to the code of conduct. The club has a social media policy and Lorch got into hot water for his behaviour on a public platform.
Playing by the rules
The social media policy at Sundowns reads as follows:
7.1. It is essential that all Staff Members understand the risks of social media and the irresponsible usage of such media which can bring not only the Staff Member but also to Mamelodi Sundowns, the League, SAFA, FIFA and the sport of Football into disrepute.
7.2. Staff Members should be aware of the effect these actions may have on the image of Mamelodi Sundowns and also their personal image. The information that Staff Members post or publish may be public information for a long time.
7.3. Staff Members consequently understand and agree that Mamelodi Sundowns may observe content and information made available by them through social media. Staff Members will use their best judgment in posting material that is neither inappropriate nor harmful to Mamelodi Sundowns, its Staff Members, the League, SAFA and/or the sport of Football.
7.4. Although not a comprehensive list, some specific examples of prohibited Social Media conduct include the posting of commentary, content, or images that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, or that can create a hostile work environment. While the social media policy does not state whether there is a suspension or fine, the Siya crew understands that Lorch was given a stern talking to by Sundowns as well as Mokwena.
Further down the Handbook, there are clear guidelines on the disciplinary code, which read as follows:
24.6.1. The very survival and certainly the success of Mamelodi Sundowns and even the career of individual footballer's demands that management, the Coach and the Technical Team are able to impose discipline effectively and achieve the aims set for the team.
24.6.2. Effective discipline is as much in the interests of the team and Professional Footballers as it is to Mamelodi Sundowns. If there is dissension or a break down in morale or discipline it is not only Mamelodi Sundowns that suffers but the team and its members.
24.6.3. Consequently, Professional Footballers appreciate and agree that a fining system and the ability, in appropriate circumstances, to suspend without pay, are essential and necessary and specifically agree to these being reasonable sanctions in appropriate cases.
24.6.4. While Professional Footballers will retain the right to challenge the imposition of a specific fine they warrant and undertake not to challenge the lawfulness or fairness of the fining system itself other than through the grievance procedure available to them.
A Throwback…
In 2022, Soccer Laduma conducted an interview with the now retired Kennedy Mweene, who has won numerous titles with Sundowns. In the interview, the former Zambian international spoke about how much players have to change their lives and make sacrifices at the Brazilians. Here is a snippet of the interview that was conducted after the Tshwane giants won the 2021/22 Premiership title.
"I have invested so much in my body because I watch what I eat. I watch what time I sleep. How you rest is important. I watch what I drink as well. So, it's a lot of investment in yourself. You have to invest in your body as a player to last long in football.
"If you come to Sundowns, you must know that you won't play Saturday and (the following) Saturday again. You must prepare and sacrifice your life. There are a lot of sacrifices at Sundowns. After every three days, we play. You must know that we can play Saturday, Wednesday and Friday. So whoever comes in during this transfer window must know that there is a lot to sacrifice at Sundowns. But when you sacrifice your life, you get rewarded with the trophies. Teboho (Mokoena) came in January. He is a (league) champion, and he has won the Nedbank Cup. Same as Surprise (Ralani). So, at Sundowns, you have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot. When you are at Sundowns, there is no nice time.
"You are not a player who is supposed to be going out, because there's just too much football to be played. There's so much we go through, so that's why I was saying the rest is important and that you have to invest in yourself when you are at Sundowns. At the end of the season, there's a lot of trophies and your pocket is also full, you understand.
"It's a good sacrifice, but are you prepared to take that sacrifice as a player? When players come to Sundowns, they can see that it's a different environment. When people are busy celebrating December 16, we are in Cairo. People celebrate Christmas, but we are in camp. But it's worth the sacrifice and you will be rewarded, and we will still get that nice time. For example, the season is over now, and I've got the whole month for a nice time. Hey, at Sundowns we come back from Cape Town with the last flight, and we train immediately at Chloorkop at around midnight. We regenerate at midnight and then you drive home. Then the following day, you relax because you've done the regeneration. Then the following day, you are on the road again. We have to go to DRC, on the flight again."
What A Player Representative Says
The Siya crew spoke to a top agent in South Africa to get their expert opinion on the code of conduct at Sundowns. For obvious reasons, the agent will remain anonymous.
"As a club, Sundowns are big on discipline, which is good. They obviously do it with the interest of the players in mind. We've seen in South African football where the likes of Jabu Pule (now Mahlangu) and Junior Khanye have shown that a lack of discipline can end careers prematurely. They didn't reach the heights that they could have because of disciplinary issues.
"With Sundowns being very focused on discipline, it's good because they then keep their players in check. Players know that if there are disciplinary issues they will be brought to book and they will have to account. The one advantage Sundowns has is that if a player who is normally in the starting line-up has disciplinary issues, they can easily replace that player with the same quality. That's the benefit they have in terms of their squad. With some other teams, they might have to think twice because they might not have someone who can perform to that level.
"Another thing is that their schedule does not allow players to party or drink all the time. We've seen how detailed their planning is. We've seen that everything is worked out for each player long before the time. So, no one is idling. Players are constantly engaged and busy. If you are not travelling, you are playing a friendly match with the guys who have stayed behind, and you have your own program. They limit things like partying due to their schedule, ensuring players have ample time to rest and recover."
