Rulani Mokwena has spoken out about his departure from Mamelodi Sundowns, which was confirmed by the club late on Wednesday afternoon
Speaking with Robert Marawa on MSW on Wednesday, Mokwena said it wasn’t his intention to leave the club after guiding them to a seventh straight DStv Premiership title.
According to reports, Mokwena’s time at the club came to an end following claims of a difficult working relationship with sporting director Flemming Berg. However, this was denied by the club.
In their statement confirming Mokwena’s departure, they said: “The decision of Mamelodi Sundowns was taken by the Board taking into account the objectives and expectations of the Club and was not influenced or based on the recommendation of any individual associated with the Club.”
Speaking to Marawa, Mokwena said his 'hand was forced,' but he was unable to reveal the reasons behind his departure from the club.
“I didn’t want to leave. I have to make that clear. But I think my hand was forced,” said the 37-year-old, who came through the ranks as a coach at the club.
“There are a lot of things I can’t talk about because I’ve signed a confidentiality clause that prohibits me from speaking about some of the details. I hope you understand there are things I cannot disclose because if I do, I’ll get into a lot of trouble,” said Mokwena.
Despite falling short in several competitions, Sundowns had a fantastic season. The club broke numerous records in the league but narrowly missed achieving invincibility after losing their final game of the league campaign.
In the end, Mokwena walked away with the Coach of the Season award, so it is no wonder he felt the club’s decision to let him go didn’t make sense.
“It makes no sense to me. But, there are a lot of things in life that don’t make sense, but you just have to accept,” he said.
“I’m blessed with enough wisdom to comprehend some of the things like this. Sometimes in football some strange things happen. But that’s the game.
“What I’m accepting is that at 37, I’ve coached two of the biggest teams in South African football. I’ve won, as a head coach, seven trophies already at 37. I’ve won four league titles, coach of the season three times. I leave with a record that says 91 games played, 60 games won, nine lost and 11 draws.
“When I look at that, I’m extremely proud. Proud of the Sundowns players because I am crazy. I don’t know how they coped with me. I come with these crazy ideas and they breathed life into my ideas.”
IOL Sport