Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe has revisited the club’s decision to relieve Rulani Mokwena of his duties, despite the coach appearing to steer the Brazilians in the right direction.
Mokwena was appointed Masandawana head coach in October 2022 after a long period serving in the club youth structures, as well as the senior team’s assistant coach and co-coach. But his tenure at the helm of the Tshwane giants ended ahead of the 2024/25 season when he was sacked amid expectations that he would begin pre-season training with the team.
Making his departure a shocker was that he had guided Sundowns to the Betway Premiership title and had also helped the team reach the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League the previous term. Manqoba Mngqithi, who then replaced Mokwena, however, lasted until December 2025 and paved the way for current coach Miguel Cardoso.
Surprisingly, Mngqithi was fired while Sundowns led in the Betway Premiership race and still had a chance to win the Champions League. But the Carling Knockout final defeat by Magesi FC appeared to be the final straw on Mngqithi’s tenure.
The hiring of Cardoso finally paid off last season when Sundowns clinched the Champions League for the first time in a decade. But that was not after they were the losing finalists the previous season.
TLHOPIE MOTSEPE ON WHY SUNDOWNS WIELDED THE AXE ON RULANI MOKWENA
While winning the PSL title and reaching the Champions League last-four appeared commendable to some, that was, however, not enough for the club bosses who then pulled the trigger on Mokwena.
“That was a very difficult decision to make for many reasons. Rulani loved the players. Coach Rulani. I even say Rulani because even myself I was very fond of him,” said Motsepe in a conversation with Robert Marawa.
“He was loved by fans and players. His style of football was generally appreciated by the supporters as well. At that time, he had taken the reins, and again we found ourselves in a situation where we couldn’t clear that hurdle of the Champions League.
“We must bear in mind that he had been a co-coach, then an individual coach in his role. So we really understood the capacity of the project with him as a coach in that particular moment.
“I think Rulani is a very talented coach and he is going to go very far. I, like many Sundowns supporters, wish him the best. We really do.
“Sometimes the very hard decisions are the right ones. It’s not emotions that will decide that. That lesson for me was also one that shaped my leadership.
“I want to say this, we all know how talented Rulani Mokwen is. Everybody in South African football enjoys his educative way he expresses the game. We love the way he talks in press conferences. We love the way he sees the game and the passion he shows for the game.”
MOKWENA’S COACHING JOURNEY IN NORTH AFRICA
After leaving Sundowns, Mokwena secured his first job outside South Africa and has since worked in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and currently in Egypt. All the four jobs have come inside two years of his first stop at Wydad Casablanca where he endured the heartbreak of failing to see his contract through the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Algerian giants MC Alger have also been his home, together with Al Ittihad SC in Libya, as he tastes the pressure of working at impatient North African clubs. Expectations are high at his current club Pyramids FC, who are looking to reclaim the Champions League trophy they won during the 2024/25 season.
