Flames assistant coach Patrick Mabedi has advised defender James Sangala that his continued sending-off in international games does not augur well with his status as a senior player who is also regarded as being highly disciplined.
Sangala was sent out during Tuesday’s international friendly match against Botswana after being cautioned twice.
This was the second consecutive game that Sangala was given the marching orders after the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations away qualifier against Ghana’s Black Stars that saw him miss the return game in Lilongwe.
Mabedi said soon after the friendly match against Botswana, he had a meeting with Sangala and he advised him on the need to lead by example.
“It is surprising that James is one of the highly-disciplined players in the team, but of late he has been sent out unnecessarily and I advised him that could have a negative effect on him as a player as well as the team in general,” said Mabedi.
The usually ice-cool defender said while he agreed with the referee’s decision to show him the first yellow card in the game against Botswana, he was not in agreement with the second decision that led to his sending-off.
