‘I will be the first one to ask for permission to go’: Rulani Mokwena
Rulani Mokwena has made a bold declaration, stating that he will be the first person to ask for permission to leave Wydad Casablanca if his presence is deemed detrimental to the team’s success.
Mokwena has gone four matches without claiming a victory in the Botola Pro 1 for Wydad after playing out to four successive draws.
In the early hours of Sunday, Wydad were held to a 1-1 draw against Ittihad Tanger at Stade du Village Sportif de Tanger. Thembinkosi Lorch found the back of the net in the first half. But Ittihad Tanger equalised late in the second half, cancelling Lorch’s opener. The goal by the highly-rated South African attacker was his first in Wydad colours since joining the club from Mamelodi Sundowns during the January transfer window.
Before dropping points against Tanger, Mokwena’s side drew with COD Meknès, RS Berkane, and FUS Rabat. The recent form has seen Wydad slip off the top three on the log standings, denting their chances of qualifying for the CAF Champions League next season.
In 25 league matches played, Wydad have collected 43 points after winning 11 matches, drawing 10 while suffering defeat four times.
RULANI MOKWENA VOWS NEVER TO CHANGE HIS STYLE OF PLAY
The 38-year-old coach insists he will maintain his playing style and will resign if his approach is deemed the cause of Wydad’s problems.
“Look, when you bring me to Wydad, you bring me with a certain style of play, and I’ll never abandon my style of play. I’m sorry. I worked very hard as a coach to build, study, and research what works,” said Mokwena.
“And it has worked for me in the past, and I’m sure it will work here, but it needs a little bit of time. I’m in a position where I love the club so much, and I can tell you that if I’m the problem for Wydad, I’ll be the first one to ask for permission to go back to South Africa.
“If I’m the problem, I give the president [Hicham Ait Menna] and the board full responsibility to relieve me from my duties. I don’t want to hold Wydad back. If Wydad feels they can do better without me, believe me, I love this club too much to be a problem here. Let’s not question our style of play. I mean, you saw the chances we created, but we have not won a game in the last four matches, which is not good enough.
“We have an important [FIFA] break, and we have a lot of things to discuss, and of course, the media will discuss the future of the coach, and that’s okay. You have to understand that I’m here for three years, my contract ends in 2027, my intention is to stay here as long as I can but to stay you need results.”
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