South African football legend Linda “Mercedes Benz” Buthelezi doesn’t believe Rulani Mokwena’s dramatic exit will disrupt Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance and trusts Manqoba Mngqithi to inspire the club reach for the sky.
Masandawana are making headlines in recent weeks, not necessarily due to their excellent on-field exploits but for the behind-the-scenes drama off the pitch.
The news of coach Mokwena’s unceremonious departure and the return of Steve Komphela to the technical team have been the jaw-droppers of the off-season.
Mokwena had just led Sundowns to their seventh successive DStv Premiership title, losing just one game in the process, alongside lifting the inaugural African Football League (AFL) trophy.
However, he fell short in the CAF Champions League where their journey ended in the semi-finals while they were runners-up in the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup, going down to Orlando Pirates on both occasions.
A report of a relationship breakdown between Mokwena and the sporting director Flemming Berg led to the former’s exit.
Some have seen the departure of Mokwena and other members of his technical staff as something that might put paid to Sundowns’ stranglehold of local football.
A fall for Sundowns opens a window for Kaizer Chiefs to finally reclaim their so-called glory days or Pirates to end their 12-year league drought.
But Buthelezi, who turned out for the Pretoria giants during his heyday, is of the view that will not be the case.
The 1996 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Bafana Bafana believes while Mokwena has left, Sundowns will still be an unshakable force because of the solid foundation and structure which are a guideline to coaches remain in place.
“I don’t believe Rulani’s departure will disrupt Sundowns in their dominance of South African football because the club has parted ways with many coaches before and continued to do well,” Buthelezi told Hollywoodbets Sports.
“Before Rulani, the club had coach Pitso Mosimane who did a wonderful job and helped to take Sundowns back to the top. When he left Sundowns continued to be a force under Mngqithi and Rulani because they followed those guidelines.
“When Rulani was put in charge the team continued to do well and were almost unbeatable. We have to give him credit as a young local coach, what he did is plausible.”
Buthelezi feels even though Mokwena lifted the league and AFL, his failure to win the CAF Champions League likely added pressure on the management to let the young mentor go.
The former hard-tackling midfielder believes the club owners have invested a lot of money over the years and they should be rewarded with another Champions League title.
Their only Champions League success was in 2016 under former boss Mosimane.
Sundowns are expected to officially install Mngqithi as head coach after a statement said Komphela will assist him.
The composed mentor, Mngqithi, already has a vote of confidence from Buthelezi who believes the former Golden Arrows coach, combined with Komphela can deliver for Sundowns.
“I believe in Manqoba and his coaching capabilities. I’m very confident that he is the right man to lead Sundowns and can take them to another level,” Buthelezi added.
“I think if Manqoba is backed and given all the support he needs he will bring a lot of success to Sundowns.
“And I commend the club for getting a coach such as Steve Komphela to come and be assistant to Manqoba. I believe those two have a great relationship and will complement each other well. That is a perfect marriage, and Sundowns will benefit.
“They have a lot of common things, and you must also remember they are both former schoolteachers and know how to work and encourage people they work with.”
Mngqithi has enjoyed most of his trophy success with Sundowns, but some will remember him as a young coach who steered an unfashionable Arrows to the MTN8 success in 2009.
That Abafana Bes’thende team had some brilliant players such as Njabulo Manqana, Nhlanhla Zothwane, Richard Hanyekane and others, who ran rampant to beat a formidable Ajax Cape Town 6-0.
Mngqithi was 38-years-old then. The 53-year-old has been Masandawana since 2014, first joining as the assistant to Mosimane.
The boys are being put to the test once again, making sure their conditioning is on point!👌
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) July 9, 2024
Go behind the scenes and see how their day was spent at the HPC centre at the University of Pretoria!💪#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/aw1pmqK51c
