This week, Mamelodi Sundowns announced the departure of head coach Rulani Mokwena, marking the end of his two-season tenure as the sole head coach. Mokwena, who had initially signed a four-year contract set to expire in June 2027, leaves behind an impressive legacy at Chloorkop.
Former Sundowns midfielder Roger Feutmba shared his insights on the situation, suggesting that Mokwena's inability to fulfill the club's ambitious mandates played a significant role in his departure. In an exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma, Feutmba pointed out that while Mokwena secured the DStv Premiership title, his failure to advance to the finals of the CAF Champions League was seen as a shortfall.
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"Personally, in my opinion Sundowns are a team that likes continuity. They want to see the team doing well all the time. It's about the mandate. That's why I think that management has a valid reason why they took that decision. Each and every season they are targeting high. They want to win everything and winning the league seven times in a row is not exciting. They wanted the CAF Champions League. You play against top teams in Africa and you are expected to do well there and at least reach the finals and above all win it," Feutmba told the Siya crew.
"And in two seasons that coach Rulani was in charge we failed to reach the finals. That was not good enough for the team. And that's why I think they didn't agree on the mandate. They could not give him another season to coach because they were not 100% sure that things will change going forward. The other thing is the kind of relationship you have with fellow technical team members, the management, the opposition teams and how does it portray the team."
He further elaborated on the complexities of managing a top club like Sundowns, where results are crucial, but so is maintaining a positive relationship with the technical team, management, and the broader football community.
"Results only don't matter. There are a lot of things the management looks on and I think that's where things didn't go well. They always want to protect the team's image and see that you achieve the mandate that was given to you. So, there was no guarantee that if he continues things will change. But remember he was given the chance from being an assistant coach with Pitso (Mosimane). Then he left but when he came back they still had trust in him. But now, they felt that was the right step to take going forward," Feutmba believes.
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Discussing potential successors, Feutmba suggested that continuity should be a priority, recommending that Manqoba Mngqithi could be a suitable internal replacement given his deep understanding of the club's culture.
"As I said earlier on Sundowns believe in continuity. Manqoba has been there with Rulani and Wendell (Robinson) and also Michael Loftman. Why can't they take over and just bring in legends of the team like Godfrey Sapula or Mike (Manzini) to assist because they know the team better. They have all been doing their coaching badges and they can coach the team.
"I think at one point you can bring in Surprise (Moriri). He can do the job. You need to start bringing in such former players who know the club philosophy and culture. But let's say you bring in a European coach or someone else, still keep the core of the technical team, because at the end of the day Sundowns will remain Sundowns," Feutmba concluded.
As Sundowns prepare for pre-season training in Austria, the coaching responsibilities have been temporarily assumed by Manqoba Mngqithi and Wendell Robinson, while Steve Komphela returns as senior coach and it remains to be seen how exactly the technical team will fit in when a new head coach is announced.
