A PSL coach has expressed a 'heartbreaking' moment about Mamelodi Sundowns' participation at the 2025 FIFA Club World.
The Brazilians put South Africa on the map with their first victory at the Club World Cup and were the only African side to win their opening match, after Al Ahly drew with Inter Miami, Wydad Casablanca and Esperance lost to Manchester City and Flamengo respectively.
READ: Reports: Sundowns Win R45m Mayele Race Against Chiefs?
Even though there is a buzz around the country rallying behind Masandawana, a coach in the PSL has revealed that he was heartbroken to watch the Tshwane giants not coached by former mentor Rulani Mokwena or a South African.
Mokwena was relieved of his duties at Sundowns at the end of the 2023/24 season under mysterious circumstances, having won the inaugural African Football League (AFL) and delivered the Betway Premiership with six games to spare.
The 38-year-coach was released apparently for being knocked out by Esperance in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, coached then by Miguel Cardoso.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a coach in the PSL says when watching Sundowns at the Club World Cup against Ulsan, all he could see was imprints of Mokwena in the team currently coached by Cardoso.
"It was heartbreaking for me to watch, in a sense that Rulani is missing (on the Sundowns bench). I don't think the new coach (Cardoso) changed a lot, personnel in fact. I think Rulani is still very much seen in that team," the coach told Soccer Laduma.
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"That's what he (Mokwena) built over the years. It would have been lovely to see a local coach coaching that team (Sundowns) at an international stage.
"It's very similar (style of play). He (Cardoso) is very animated on the sides and people see that, the shouting. You can see it in Diego Simeone from Atletico Madrid. Sometimes the team feeds off that," the anonymous coach said.
"He (Cardoso) is a bit more animated than Rulani but that's about it. He didn't win the (CAF) Champions League, they fired Rulani for not winning the Champions League. He didn't win the Champions League as well, so what now?" the secret coach asked.
