It was a classic case of when one door closes, another big one opens for newly appointed Wydad Athletic coach Rulani Mokwena.
Last month, Mokwena was surprisingly shown the door by Mamelodi Sundowns. This after winning the African Football League and the DStv Premiership, with only one loss out of 30 matches last season.
As he was still picking up the pieces, he was given a major lifeline and appointed by Morocco giants, Wydad. Mokwena says that he is really enjoying life in the Atlantic coastal city. He cannot get enough of the typical warm Mediterranean climate.
Jetted back into SA to finalise move
This past weekend, Mokwena slipped back into SA to finalise his team. After which he will pack his bags for the start of the coaching tenure in a couple of weeks. He was in Morocco for a few days to complete his paperwork with the club. Mokwena was a given a three-year contract by the former Caf Champions League champions.
“Life is very good in Casablanca. The city is wonderful and world-class. [Its] people are warm and very welcoming, and they love their club. The food is nice, I have tried a lot of their dishes – the rice, lamb, the chicken are very delicious. Vegetables and fruits are very fresh, and I could not have asked for more,” Mokwena told Sunday World last week.
“In the coming days, I will spend some time at home before I go back to Morocco. I just need to get some of my clothes, my resources, my MacBook. Also some of my coaching material, books and all of that,” Mokwena explained further.
His mandate is to get the club back to its glory days. They finished sixth in the Moroccan premier division, and this is not acceptable by the club’s standards.
“This Wydad project excites me,” Mokwena added. “It’s about climbing one mountain, then the next mountain up until you conquer Mount Everest.
Mandate to get Wydad back to its glory days
“I got nothing to prove, I left Sundowns after 96 games and 60 wins. Seven defeats, four league titles and the African Football League continental trophy. I am happy with what I achieved. And the memories I take from Sundowns are positive memories. I have nothing but great words about the chairman and the Motsepe family, the players and everyone at the club.
“Everyone has written Wydad off, that they are on their way down and that they are finished. I like those type of stories. Where people write you off and you have all the drive and adrenaline to push yourselves where you know you should be. And not where people think you should be,” he added.
The former Orlando Pirates coach has not yet finalised his technical team. He said that he is looking for an assistant coach with more experience. And someone who understands pressure and has won trophies before.
Optimistic about Wydad
“I am going to the next job like any coach expecting to do the best and to succeed, I am very confident of my ability. The club has so much to gain than I have to lose. When I look at my age and profile of teams that I have coached already, and I think there’s a lot I can learn with this project at Wydad. And to improve as coach and as a person. I am happy with the decision I have made, I think I have made the best decision,” he added.
Mokwena will be jetting back to Casablanca next week to start his tenure.
I wish him all the best, however, I’m a bit disturbed that Ramovic will be joining him to coach Raja Casablanca on the same league.
He cnt enjoy life wyl his pay is going to buy players is nt to enjoy tht is to force