‘Coach Ramović, please sit down’: Pitso spars with Galaxy boss over ‘Vila’

Al-Ahli Saudi coach Pitso Mosimane has continued to defend his stance on his former player Sibusiso 'Vila' Vilakazi, asking TS Galaxy boss Sead Ramović to “please sit down”.

This was after German coach Ramović responded in the media to tweets by Mosimane.

Ramović had left Mosimane “dumbfounded” at the Galaxy coach's tone when he said last week the reason former Bafana Bafana midfielder Vilakazi, 33, was released by the Rockets in January was over the player not putting enough effort into his training sessions.

Mosimane responded on Twitter that this was not in keeping with the character with the Vilakazi he knew when he coached the player at Mamelodi Sundowns.

Ramović responded via the media.

“Mr Mosimane, I don't usually react when I see someone's emotions controlling them. But this time I'll make an exception for you. I hope you will like my tone this time,” Ramović said in a statement sent to SABC Sport.

“Vilakazi is a wonderful person, a really fantastic player, [who had] a nice career. But we have just as many players who are trying very hard to start the same career and give everything every day.

“I would really like Vilakazi to continue his career. Maybe he could continue in your team because you could certainly use his quality.

“I'm sure your chair [at Al Ahli Saudi] would like to have success this year and not care too much about your great achievements six years ago. I wish you to continue your fantastic record as a coach.”

Mosimane responded to the tweet of the SABC report, writing: “Coach Ramović, please sit down.

“I was just protecting Sbu Vilakazi’s career that is still left with few years to go. You have to make the [PSL] top eight and match 'Dance' [former Galaxy coach Dan Malesela's] Nedbank Cup record.

“Let's focus and be responsible Pro Licence coaches.”

Malesela won the 2018-19 Nedbank Cup with Galaxy, the then-second-tier team shocking Kaizer Chiefs in the final.

Ramović last week at a Nedbank Cup press conference, explaining why Vilakazi been released by the club, said: “He is a fantastic player, fantastic name and had a great career.

“But for me as a coach, I don’t care about age and names, I just look at the things I see on the field. If we have players on the field who give 100% every day, train well and put in a lot of effort, those players will play.

“Players who don’t do the best every day will have a difficult time but I think it is not only at my club, at other clubs it is the same rules because every coach tries to pick up the best eleven.

“We all want to win games, I would not be smart enough if I put a player in the field who didn’t show me during the week why should I put him to play. How big is the chance if you don’t train that suddenly you will train well.”

Mosimane responded to a video of Ramović making that statement on Vilakazi on Twitter.

“I am dumbfounded by the tone of this interview,” he wrote.

“I trained [Vilakazi] for many years — competitively and consistently for +6 years, A true professional (on and off) [the field] who respects the game and coaches. Knows sports science and game tactics, opinionated too.

"[Vilakazi] was also a coach in my dressing room and on the pitch, one of the players who kept the dressing room quiet but spoke football tactics all the time.

“He led the football conditioning training sessions, which are usually very tough. A critic to his game.”

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