With three months left before Andile Jali’s contract with Mamelodi Sundowns comes to an end, the future of the Mamelodi Sundowns defensive midfielder is still unknown. He is eligible to sign a pre-contract with a team of his choice.
In January, Jali’s agent Mike Makaab has said there are teams that have enquired about the services of the experienced midfielder locally and internationally. Masandawana should make a decision on whether they want to keep him or not.
Locally, teams like Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu have been monitoring the situation of Jali closely with the hope of signing the Bafana Bafana midfielder. Lately, Cape Town City is another club that has shown interest in him.
On Tuesday, Mokwena answered a question on the future of Jali at Sundowns.
“I don’t want to get too much into that space because it’s quite polluted with – as you said – ‘he said, she said’ type of stuff,” said Mokwena during media briefing.
“So, I’d rather not comment on it because I have spoken extensively about it already in the past and to avoid being misquoted. I’d rather not comment on the situation.
“I think the club will give a directive and an announcement and a response in due course, at the right time when the club deems it necessary,” Mokwena concluded.
Despite being part of the matchday squad including the CAF Champions League, the 32-year-old’s future with the Tshwane Giants is not promising. The reigning midfielder of the season has made 15 appearances for the Brazilians this season in all competitions. Former SuperSport United midfielder Teboho Mokoena has been preferred ahead of him since coach Mokwena has been in charge of the club.
The return of Rivaldo Coetzee and Bongani Zungu from injuries could play a huge role in Jali leaving Masandawana. Both players are younger than Jali and since Mokwena has taken over at Sundowns he’s been mainly using players who are under 30 years of age.
The Matatiele-born player has won all the domestic trophies on offer for Masandawana since he joined the club in 2018 and played 139 matches for the Tshwane giants.
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