Rhulani Mokwena Makes Shocking Admission Of Pain Over 'Unceremonious' Sundowns Departure

Former Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rhulani Mokwena unceremoniously left the champions at the end of the 2022/23 season, reportedly after falling out with Sporting Director Flemming Berg.

His next stop was Morocco's Wydad Athletic Club where in  one season, he steered the team from sixth place to the top three, securing their return to CAF competition before a mutual exit.

Back in Mzansi, Mokwena was linked to Orlando Pirates but stunned observers by choosing MC Alger in Algeria. He has now revealed why. In an interview with SAFJA, he said:

“Champions League, it was the Champions League, and the President’s talk, I spoke to him a lot, he spoke about the team and wanting to play a certain brand of football, and that was also quite convincing,” he said as first quoted by Goal.

“I watched the squad, analysed the games, I felt it was a squad that was settled and could adopt the principles I wanted to develop, but Champions League for sure, I wanted to get back into competing for the Champions League, competing amongst the best teams, best coaches, best players; for me it was a big motivation. And even though we had offers from some teams that were also in the Champions League, this was a very appealing, in fact, it came at a time where I considered taking it sabbatical, it’s a simple answer," Mokwena added.

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Mokwena's gamble is paying off. He has guided MC Alger to the CAF Champions League group stage, where they face his former club, Mamelodi Sundowns. Domestically, his team tops the Algerian Ligue 1 with 22 points, despite playing three games less.

Mokwena also credited Pitso Mosimane for paving the way for South African coaches in North Africa.

“Coach Pitso had a big influence on [North Africans appreciating Mzansi tacticians],” he continued.

“His success with Al Ahly was probably the door opener. Not only his success on the pitch, with regard to what he did in the Champions League, but also with regard to his work and conduct as a professional coach.”

“And also his ability to manage a big changing room at that time showed that South African coaches do have the capacity to manage in the North and deal with the pressure of managing big clubs with a lot of pressure from the fans," Mokwena added.

“Coach Pitso deserves a lot of credit for opening the way."

Mokwena, who worked under Mosimane, concluded:

“I was fortunate to work with him for many years, and so I know the man. To be honest, I owe a lot of who I am today to him. So, from that perspective, I could say that was one of the things [that make teams from North Africa recognise South African coaches]," he concluded.

Mokwena now stands a chance to win the Algerian Ligue 1. However, his biggest achievement would be to win the CAF Champions League, ranking him with Africa's best.