Lupopo coach to Sundowns: ‘We’ll meet in Lubumbashi’

Suspended FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo coach Guy Bukasa has sent a warning to Mamelodi Sundowns following their 3-1 victory in a CAF Champions League (CAFCL) match on Saturday.

The South African giants started their Group C race with a dominant performance over the Democratic Republic of the Congo opponents at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

Nuno Santos put Miguel Cardoso’s side ahead with a fourth-minute neat finish before Ramos Kashala restored parity briefly. Marcelo Allende put Sundowns back in the lead then Santos claimed his second of the afternoon to seal the victory.

Bukasa watched the proceedings from the terraces as he is serving a six-match suspension from CAF-sanctioned matches owing to a disciplinary issue from his time with DRC under-20 team earlier this year.

After the match, the 35-year-old coach caught the attention of South African media personalities who interviewed the tactician as he left the stadium. Asked how he felt after the game, Bukasa insisted that he was fine, adding that there is a long way to go in the group for him to lose hope.

The promising tactician then warned Sundowns, who will travel to Lubumbashi later for a reverse fixture.

“I am okay. I am very good. The league is still open. We have five games so we will fight for that. Congratulations to Sundowns, but we will meet in Lubumbashi,” Bukasa said.

How Guy Bukasa was suspended

Ahead of the game, there was uncertainty in the camp of Lupopo after Orlando Pirates, opponents the Congolese side beat in the second preliminary round, lodged a complaint to CAF over the coach’s involvement in the competition.

CAF responded by slapping Bukasa with a six-match suspension, starting with the Sundowns clash, and a US$20,000 fine. However, the continental football governing body threw out another ground of Pirates’ complaint against the eligibility of Lupopo players, Henoc Molia and Wanet Kashala.

Next weekend, Sundowns travel to play against Algeria’s MC Alger while Lupopo date Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman on the same day.