Rulani on challenges of Sundowns gig: ‘I’m the most attacked coach’
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has spoken about the challenges of leading the Tshwane giants, acknowledging the intense public scrutiny that comes with the position.
Mokwena has garnered recognition as one of Africa’s leading modern football coaches, renowned for his implementation of an attractive possession-based style at Sundowns.
The 37-year-old won the DStv Premiership title and the inaugural African Football League [AFL] trophy in 2023 after taking over the Sundowns’ head coach hot seat in 2022.
Moreover, Mokwena is likely to bag his second league title this season as Sundowns lead second-placed Cape Town City by 12 points with 14 games to go.
However, the former Orlando Pirates coach has faced the wrath of football fans and coaches more than once in recent seasons but said he generally holds no grudge against them. Despite all his success, although some fans adore him, he believes others dislike and attack him, mostly more than any other coach.
Not long ago, Mokwena was involved in an exchange of words with Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos after some of his Mamelodi Sundowns players returned injured from national duty.
In addition, Mokwena recently did not bite his tongue when he angrily responded to comments made by TS Galaxy counterpart Sead Ramovic, who accused him of insulting him during a “phone call” last week.
The two coaches have been the talk of the town as they have been attacking each other through words lately, with the German coach revealing that Mokwena had shockingly threatened him.
‘I AM PROBABLY THE MOST ATTACKED COACH’ – RULANI
Despite all the drama, with Sundowns edging closer to winning the Premiership title for the seventh consecutive time, Mokwena said one must have a “thick skin” to survive in the coaching industry.
In his press conference following Masandawana’s 3-0 win against AmaZulu FC in the league on Tuesday night at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Mokwena claimed to be one of the most attacked coaches in the country.
“Exactly that. I count my blessings, and of course, blessings and burdens are cousins, so you guys have already seen that I’m probably the one coach who gets a lot of sticks and attacks,” he said.
“But that’s part of the job, isn’t it? And part of appreciating God’s blessings, sometimes you have to appreciate them a little more when the darkness comes.
“But it is what it is, and you just have to develop a thick skin and move on with it.”
WHAT RULANI MOKWENA LEARNT FROM HIS LATE GRANDMOTHER
“One of the most important things that I was taught by my late grandmother was that always before you go to bed and close your eyes, just say one word of prayer,” added Mokwena.
“And sometimes you don’t even ask for anything, you just thank [God] for the gift of life, and thank him for the blessings he gives us every day, both positive and negative. But if you can look at them in that light, there is a lot that you can take out of it.”
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By Clifton Mabasa