Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has confirmed that he once turned down an approach from Kaizer Chiefs to move to the Brazilians.
Mngqithi lost his job as Sundowns coach on Tuesday when Portuguese tactician Miguel Cardoso was unveiled as the new man in the dugout but he seems to have no hard feelings over the situation.
The tactician has been one of the longest-serving coaches at Sundowns, having first joined the club in 2014, as part of Pitso Mosimane’s coaching staff.
Why did Mngqithi reject Chiefs?
Mngqithi says he joined Sundowns at a time when they were not a dominant force but had belief in their potential to become a successful team and even turned down an approach from a well-performing Chiefs.
“One would say, ‘what was on your mind when you joined Sundowns at that time?’ They had not won anything and they had some top players – but my mind was it would be nice to bring this team back to its former glory,” Mngqithi told Marawa Sports Worldwide.
“For me, that project made sense because at the time, it looked defunct to someone from the outside because for seven years this club had not won anything because at the time, I had an approach from Chiefs prior to Sundowns and I did my presentation at Chiefs and then suddenly Sundowns came when there was a slight delay [at Chiefs].
The coach was part of successful team
“When I took that opportunity, I did not even want to still chat with Chiefs to find out what was happening with them. Chiefs were winning, but I felt it would be nice to be part of this environment,” he added.
It turned out to be a wise decision for the coach as Sundowns would become a winning machine, claiming five league titles under Mosimane, before adding four more under the stewardship of Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena.
With Mokwena getting sacked at the end of last season, Mngqithi was handed the reigns but he lasted just five months in the job.
