Rulani Mokwena has grown to be his own man, and deserves plaudits

Final Whistle Column

Rulani Mokwena has shown that he has nerves of steel, and given all that he’s achieved and taken on the chin in recent years, he’s destined for greatness.

Before writing this op-ed, rumours had been rife that he has been released by Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca after a string of poor results.

And this was despite Mokwena and his agent Steve Kapelushnik recently telling the media that they’ve agreed with the club to part ways at the end of the season.

So, whatever happens, possibilities are high that Mokwena won’t be the club’s coach beyond this season, ruling out chances of him coaching at the Club World Cup in June.

And sure, it will be easy for naysayers to say ‘there goes his dream of coaching against his idol, Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola’, as he was looking forward to that in the US.

But perhaps it’ll be only sensible for us to realise that Mokwena’s dream might only be delayed, and not denied. He’s still got his best years ahead of him.

It’s only important to realise that Mokwena didn’t fail at Wydad. If anything, he succeeded, and was close to waking up a sleeping giant.

Mokwena arrived at the club last year when they were on their knees – they were financially strapped, and had incredibly finished sixth in the Botola Pro 1 log last season.

His abilities to lure players to the club, including SA duo Cassius Mailula and Thembinkosi Lorch, brought in some financial revenue one way or another.

And that’s not all. With three games to play, the team now have a chance of finishing in a CAF qualifying for next season – something that eluded them before Mokwena arrived.

Mokwena is only 38 years of age. So, his decision to believe in his abilities and take on a gigantic post such as the Wydad coaching job also spoke volumes.

He showed that he’s not a cry baby, and wouldn’t sulk and moan around by opting to ridicule himself after being sacked by Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of last season.

Mokwena could have decided to stick around – here at home – and coach any of the teams with less pressure in an attempt to rebuild his profile and confidence.

But he didn’t need that. He had already done that at Sundowns, having won the Premiership title and African Football League (AFL) as the lone head coach.

Of course, naysayers will have a field day by saying the foundation was laid for him by the deep pockets of the club and the work of his predecessor Pitso Mosimane.

But Mokwena was his own man in his last season at Sundowns, alright. He had an idea of how the team wanted to play – possession-based football – and aced that to a tee.

It’s worth noting that Mokwena didn’t only become his own man when he achieved illustrious success at Sundowns and taking up the Wydad job. No!

He carved his path when he decided to step out of the shadow of his paternal lineage, which includes some of the greatest players to don the jersey of Orlando Pirates.

He is the son of Julius “KK” Sono, making him the nephew of Ephraim “Jomo” Son and the grandson of Eric “Scara” Sono – a trio that left their mark at Pirates.

Mokwena, who’s decided to use his maternal surname to step out of his paternal shadow, also decided to go the road less travelled – focusing more on coaching than playing.

And that duly paid dividends as he returned to Pirates not as the last offspring of his paternal bloodline, but as ‘Rulani Mokwena, the coach’.

His stint at the club, which included being as an assistant and then the interim head coach, was bittersweet – it didn’t bear immediate fruits at the time.

But I can tell you now, Mokwena is now more wiser and experienced. The fact that he’s linked back to Pirates is all due to his coaching prowess.

So, that’s why Mokwena can leave Wydad with his head held high. He ran a good course, and incredibly left the jersey better than he found it.