2 days ago
50
We are failing to appreciate ourselves. Rulani Mokwena is a great young coach. He is very passionate about his work and has proved himself through positive results by guiding Mamelodi Sundowns to many victories.
Mokwena is highly respected by his players and has managed to bring cohesion within the team, which is even visible to some of us who are only watching from the outside. That Sundowns is looking to cut ties with him is unfortunate and smacks of ignorance from those tasked with the responsibility of guiding this team.
Many are saying if he is a good coach, he must go to the lowest-most team and pick them up. Unfortunately, football does not work like that. Great coaches go to good teams because they can afford them; football is business, and the best needs the best to guide them.
A driver of the most expensive car can drive any jalopy, but the performance won’t be the same. So Mokwena, like any other great coach elsewhere in the world, must be judged by his achievements and not set traps for him to see if he can succeed.
Coach Pep Guardiola coached Barcelona, then he went to Bayern Munich and now he is at Manchester City. Those are great teams and he excelled. You can’t measure his success by pushing him to the lowest-most team with no budget. Many coaches went to City and failed.
I would not want to think that the problems that Mokwena may be facing are another indication of self-hate and black pain. Whatever happens, I wish him all the best for he is a symbol of black excellence in this anti-black country of ours.
Sebongile Galekhutle, email
