Sundowns’ plane to Rabat fails to leave as Moroccans deny landing permit

Mamelodi Sundowns’ preparations for the second leg of their Caf Champions League final against AS FAR have been severely disrupted after the team was grounded in South Africa.

The Brazilians were unable to fly to Morocco as scheduled on Tuesday morning because they had not received a landing permit from the North African country’s aviation authorities.

After several hours at OR Tambo International Airport, Sundowns’ players had to return home, though officials are scrambling to ensure the team’s chartered flight leaves on Wednesday morning.

Sundowns have lost a full day’s training as a result, disrupting their preparations for the hugely anticipated clash in Rabat on Sunday.

The development has drawn accusations of gamesmanship by the Moroccans, as it means Downs will have less time to adjust to conditions in Rabat.

Sundowns take a 1-0 lead into the second leg thanks to defender Aubrey Modiba’s effort in the first leg in Pretoria on Sunday in a match that was marred by crowd violence and a malfunctioning VAR.

Meanwhile, with Grant Kekana set to return for Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League final return leg in Rabat, after serving his suspension, ex-Downs player Thabo Nthethe says the coach should continue with Khulumani Ndamane and Keanu Cupido in defence.

Kekana missed Sundowns’ two Champions League matches after he received a red card in the semifinal first leg against Esperance. This forced coach Miguel Cardoso to use Cupido, who played with a shoulder injury in the first leg, partnered with Ndamane.

With Kekana returning, Nthethe doesn’t think Cardoso should change the line-up for the second leg.

“Honestly, I don’t think it will work for the coach to drop any of them [Ndamane or Cupido] for Grant,” Nthethe told Sowetan. “I think he can be on the bench, but not to start.

Cardoso said recently that Ndamane is suffering from fatigue after costly errors in domestic league matches, and many feel he might be dropped with Kekana now returning.

But Nthethe said: “[It’s important] to keep the spirit going and to keep [Ndamane and Cupido] playing because they played well in the first leg. There was no damage or missed communication between them. I think when Grant comes back, he must go back to the bench.”

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