Rulani Mokwena is spoilt for choice when it comes to his next destination, with clubs from north Africa, Saudi Arabia and Qatar eager to sign him up.
His manager Steve Kapeluschnik said he was in talks with several clubs chasing Mokwena’s services after his sudden departure from Mamelodi Sundowns.
He said Mokwena — who led Sundowns to a seventh successive Premier Soccer League title with a record points margin — will not take a sabbatical but will make a call on his future employers possibly before the start of the 2024-2025 campaign. “We’ve had a lot of calls from north Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, [and from] Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” said Kapeluschnik.
“We are speaking to a few clubs. We signed [a separation with Sundowns] on Wednesday afternoon. We haven’t decided which way to go. Rulani is very particular. He must find the right project. I am exploring the angles, he is exploring and he will make the ultimate decision. We are not jumping into anything.
“You have to look at the country, the football, the fans, [and] the squad the club has. You want to make the right decision. He is in no rush and does not want to make a rash decision.”
Asked about the identity of the clubs seeking Mokwena’s services, Kapeluschnik said his client was interested in clubs competing in the Confederation of African Football’s Champions League level. “Wydad [Casablanca of Morocco] is one of them.
“He is looking at high-level competitions. The Fifa Club World Cup is a huge thing, so is the Champions League and African Super League. Wydad is not in the Champions League [next season], but they are in the Club World Cup.”
Rulani is very particular. He must find the right project. I am exploring the angles, he is exploring and he will make the ultimate decision.
— Steve Kapeluschnik, Rulani Mokwena’s agent
About Mokwena taking a break from coaching, Kapeluschnik said: “That sabbatical talk is rubbish. Rulani is 37, he broke every single record in the PSL, was Coach of the Season in the PSL and Cosafa, and won the league by 23 points... Okay, he might take some time out to process [what has happened] and heal but there’ll be no sabbatical.”
Sources at Chloorkop say Flemming Berg, a Dane who arrived as sporting director in April 2022, had been butting heads with Mokwena on decision-making around player recruitment and results.
He is not the only person Mokwena had a difficult relationship with. There were said to be clashes of opinions between Mokwena and senior assistant coach Manqoba Mngqithi and second assistant Steve Komphela who left at the start of the 2023-2024 season.
Yesterday morning Sundowns announced the return of Komphela as senior assistant to Mngqithi, who has been announced as new head coach. “That guy [Mokwena] has been skating on thin ice since last season. The Champions League results were an issue as the expectation was to reach the final. It felt like they forgave him for losing to Wydad in the semifinal last year. The pressure piled up when Sundowns lost to Esperance in May this year in the same competition,” said a source at Sundowns.
“The big one was that Flemming was against the signing of [Thembinkosi] Lorch. Flemming red-flagged Lorch’s discipline. His argument was that the club had similar players to Lorch. Clearly within a few weeks Lorch proved him right [when a live instagram video of Lorch grooving with a couple of ladies went viral]. It was brewing long before that.”
Another insider told the Sunday Times: “His [Mokwena’s] relationship with nobody was great. Nobody was good. When you don’t respect your peers, you can never last at a football club. It is a sad state of affairs because he is a talented coach. But talent alone is never enough. You also cannot want to be the sole decision-maker in everything.”
Kapeluschnik described Mokwena as devastated at severing ties with Sundowns. Though he won the inaugural African Football League in November, Mokwena came unstuck in two successive semifinal losses in Africa’s premier inter-club competition, the Champions League.
But despite criticism levelled against his client, Kapeluschnik said Mokwena gave his all to ensure Sundowns remained on top of the pile in the PSL, and was shocked when the decision to terminate his four-year contract was effected. “He was devastated, and there was a lot of emotion, a lot of tears,” added Kapeluschnik.
“He is the kind of person that when he commits to something he gets all in. Rulani is one of the most phenomenal talents to come out of SA, and still has a lot in him.”
Attempts to speak to Berg drew a blank. The club said it was not prepared to say more than what was said in their statement, which read in part: “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.”
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