Pitso snaps up Mokwena
“HE has achieved his dream, vision and fulfilment. But it’s never the end, he remains a good coach and one of the good coaches that I have worked with.”
Those were the words of Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane after his then former right-hand man Rhulani Mokwena was abruptly removed as Orlando Pirates’ interim head coach in December.
“I still believe that he’s going to be better than me, he needs time to do that. There’s enough time. I went from being a head coach at SuperSport United to being an assistant coach (at Bafana Bafana) for five years. So, there’s nothing wrong if he can be an assistant again.”
At the time Mosimane was speaking of Mokwena’s new role to deputise new Pirates’ head coach Josef Zinnbauer. But little did he know they’d reunite at Sundowns’ as coach and assistant six months later.
Mokwena returned to the Brazilians yesterday after his three-year roller-coaster stint with Pirates came to an abrupt end last month.
Mokwena is set to link up
with the Brazilians team in Rustenburg, where they are camping ahead of the restart of the season, as soon as he gets all clear from COVID-19 related examinations.
Three seasons ago, Mokwena exited the gates of Chloorkop as a sophisticated young coach to join Pirates. Mokwena just wanted to succeed at Pirates. For the first two seasons, there were flashes of success alongside the renowned coach Micho Sredojevic, albeit finishing as championship runners-up to Sundowns consecutively.
Many deemed Mokoena as the person pulling the strings.. Sredojevic refuted the claims, but he always sang Mokwena’s praises. Sredojevic resigned in his third season, while Mokwena was thrown in the deep as the Buccaneers’
interim commander in chief.
Mokwena’s promotion, however, endured more set-backs than progress, considering the club languished in the bottom half of the standings during his reign.
Enter Zinnbauer. The German took charge of his first game in December, inspiring his new charges to an impressive win over Black Leopards as Mokwena looked out of place as an assistant. Mokwena went on ‘a study leave’ before being sent out on loan as Chippa United’s head coach in March.
Mokwena only led Chippa against Bidvest Wits before the pandemic coronavirus brought the league to a complete halt until now. However, late last month, his first chapter at Pirates officially came to an end.
Mosimane, who’s recently signed a lucrative new four-year deal, has been tasked to bring another Caf Champions League star to the club and that’s why he’ll need men that he can trust beside him. And Mokwena is set to be of one of those men.