The co-head coach explains why he cannot compete with the Al Ahly coach ahead of his Cup final at Moses Mabhida Stadium
Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Rhulani Mokwena has admitted the CV of Al Ahly’s Pitso Mosimane is high up there and he cannot be in a position to compete with him.
Despite achieving a lot with the Brazilians, the 57-year-old Mosimane never won the MTN8 trophy and asked whether winning the same for Sundowns would mean more to him.
‘Pitso’s CV speaks for itself’
“But it’s a trophy that many others didn’t win, not just coach Pitso,” Mokwena said as quoted by iDiski Times. “Coach Pitso’s CV speaks for itself, the work that he has done. And, of course, I always say this, I am not in competition with coach Pitso.
“I can’t be looking to win things because coach Pitso didn’t win them.
“And of course, in the end, it’s not an individual thing. The leadership of the club, from a technical perspective, means that there’s more than one coach in our space and therefore to personalise and put it only about me becomes a little bit of a difficult space to go into.”
Mokwena further clarified he has a lot of respect for Mosimane for what he achieved with the team adding if they win any silverware, it will not be about individuals but about the club.
“I have huge respect for the work that Pitso has done at Mamelodi Sundowns, and huge respect for the trophies that he has achieved,” Mokwena continued.
“Of course that’s the focus, to try and continue the legacy that has been left behind, not just by Pitso but by even his predecessors.
‘We want to play with intensity’
“Because it takes more than one human being to build an empire, and while you are at service, while you are in the position of leading – of course as a group with coach Manqoba and coach Steve Komphela and Wendell [Robinson] – we understand that our responsibility once more is to serve this institution.
“While we are still here we will do it to the best of our ability and try to continue to win all the trophies that are on offer, every single match, every single training session.
“That’s our mentality, we want to play with intensity, we want to play with a lot of concentration, and to do that means you’ve got to be selfless.
“For the players to be selfless that mentality needs to be driven from us, the technical team, the leadership, and it’s got absolutely nothing to do with coach Pitso or myself. It’s about the club and that’s where our focus lies.”
Sundowns will face Cape Town City in the final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
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