Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena admits there will be questions over his job security, but hopes the disappointment of missing out on the CAF Champions League yet again won’t lead to his exit.
The Brazilians were eliminated on Friday night at Loftus Stadium following a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Tunisian outfit Esperance.
Mokwena, who’s guided Downs to two successive semifinals, does, however, feel strongly that he has the hierarchy’s backing.
‘Does losing my job cross my mind? yes, it crosses my mind everyday. I have to prove myself worthy to be the coach of Mamelodi Sundowns every single day. But I feel the support of the players, the support of the family that runs this football club, I feel the support of the senior management and that is important. I feel the support of the staunch Sundowns fans who realise where this club is as compared to where this club used to be,” said Mokwena.
Sundowns handed Mokwena a four-year contract at the beginning of the season, with chairman Thlopane Motsepe adamant that the club wanted him there long-term. Mokwena believes he has turned The Brazilians into a force.
”In the past many teams would come here and think it is easy to play Sundowns. I remember Sundowns losing 5 – 0 in the knockout stage of the Champions League, and gone are those days, teams don’t play against Sundowns whether home or away and play open and this is something that shows how much we have grown as a team,” added Mokwena.
Mokwena used an example of how Bayern Munich sacked Julian Nagelsmann when perhaps there was no need simply because a counterpart with a bigger profile in Thomas Tuchel had suddenly become available.
”A couple of months ago Nagelsmann was the youngest coach to ever coach a big club like Bayern Munich, at that time they were still running for three competitions, they were in a running for the league and the champions league. And they were only two points away from the winners and all of a sudden Tuchel was available,” he concluded.
With Munich now looking to replace Tuchel and reports suggesting Nagelsmann is again being shortlisted for the job, Mokwena pointed out why it was important for a club the size of Sundowns to have continuity.
(story credit: SABC Sport)
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