Mike Makaab confirms advanced talks in Manqoba Mngqithi’s future at Sundowns
Top agent Mike Makaab has confirmed that Mamelodi Sundowns are in advanced talks to sign a contract renewal with Manqoba Mngqithi.
The Sundowns senior coach, Mngqithi, has been the subject of speculation, with his existing contract set to expire at the end of June.
Various media reports linked Mngqithi with the coaching job at Kaizer Chiefs, however, this publication established that the experienced coach was never on the wishlist of Amakhosi.
Mngqithi joined the Brazilians back in 2013 as the assistant coach of the then-head coach Pitso Mosimane. Following Mosimane’s exit from Sundowns to join Al Ahly, Mngqithi took over as the co-coach alongside Rulani Mokwena between 2020 and 2022.
During the 2022/23 season, the 53-year-old tactician became a senior coach, and Mokwena took over as the sole head coach.
Since his arrival at Downs, Mngqithi has won a handful of trophies, including the 2016 CAF Champions League and the African Football League [AFL] last season.
Before joining Sundowns, Mngqithi also won the 2008 MTN8 as coach of Golden Arrows after beating Ajax Cape Town [now known as Cape Town Spurs] 6-1 in the final.
MANQOBA MNGQITHI TO PEN CONTRACT EXTENSION AT SUNDOWNS
The KZN-born mentor will put a pen on paper to sign a contract extension at Sundowns in the coming days.
“Manqoba Mngqithi is yet to sign a new contract at Mamelodi Sundowns but I can tell you that the deal is very close to being concluded,” Makaab told FARPost.
Meanwhile, Mngqithi will be looking to help the Tshwane giants fulfil their dream of lifting the second CAF Champions League title next season.
The Chloorkop-based side has been falling short in the knockout stages of the Champions League in the past few seasons.
In the previous campaign, Sundowns crashed out in the semi-finals after losing against the Tunisian giants Esperance. The latter beat Sundowns 2-0 on aggregate.
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