Mokwena opens up on Mosimane influence, sabbatical thoughts & PSL snub

South African coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed he contemplated taking a sabatical after leaving Wydad Athletic Club.

The 38-year-old served the Botola Pro League side for a year before parting ways on mutual consent following an unfavourable working conditions despite his undeniable positive influence.

Back at home, the likes of Orlando Pirates, Siwelele were heavily linked to the 38-year-old. Some top teams on the continent and others from the Middle East were reportedly chasing him.

However, it was Algerian Ligue 1 outfit MC Alger that won the race. Mokwena has since explained how, before stating he was considering taking a rest.

What took Mokwena to MC ALger?

“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,” Mokwena told SAFJA.

“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.”

The Mosimane impact

Mokwena has further stated the success coach Pitso Mosimane had with Egyptian side Al Ahly had a positive impact especially in North Africa.

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

“His success with Al Ahly was probably the door opener. Not only his success on the pitch, with regards to what he did in Champions League but also with regards 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. 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 things [that make North Africans recognise Mzansi],” Mokwena concluded.