Following numerous reports linking Rulani Mokwena with a return to Orlando Pirates, the Siya crew has looked into the persistent rumours.
Soccer Laduma's own reporting was the first to place Mokwena as a leading candidate for the Pirates hot seat, and the Siya crew has reached out to sources in Mokwena's inner circle to seek clarity on the situation.
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A confidant close to Mokwena engaged with the Siya crew on broader football matters but was unable to specifically discuss questions related to whether Mokwena is the next Pirates head coach, thus raising further intrigue about a potential appointment.
With the departure of Jose Riveiro to Al Ahly recently, the Buccaneers are yet to announce his replacement, and now insiders close to the club have commented on the matter.
A Pirates official has indicated that it's believed Mokwena could be the coach to make a return to the club he once led before, but the former Wydad Casablanca mentor hasn't been confirmed as the next Bucs coach. So, all parties are playing it safe, in case of a late change on the situation.
"At the moment no one wants to talk about it but it's believed that Rulani Mokwena is the coach in line to take over from Jose Riveiro. I can't say everything is finalised at the moment but things are looking good. For now it's more about the interest in the coach and Rulani Mokwena is one of those," the insider told Soccer Laduma, which means Mokwena's not officially chosen yet.
Meanwhile, a second insider close to the club's operational timeline stated that the club is looking at announcing a new coach before the end of June so that he is part of their pre-season training camp in Europe.
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"The team is expected to leave for pre-season in Germany during the first week of July. So they are planning to have the new coach by that time as part of their pre-season. Let's wait and see who it will be. Rulani Mokwena's name is up there on the list," the second source told the Siya crew.
The 38-year-old had first worked as assistant to coach Milutin Sredojevic when at Pirates before taking over on an interim basis. Since then he has worked at Chippa United, Sundowns and Wydad.
Soccer Laduma contacted Pirates to comment on the situation officially but the club had not responded by the time this report was published.
The conspicuous silence from Mokwena's camp on this specific matter, coupled with Pirates' urgent need to appoint a coach before their European tour, suggests developments may accelerate in the coming days. While other candidates may still be under consideration, the reluctance to discuss the Pirates link specifically adds weight to the growing speculation.
