It has been one hell of a rollercoaster week for Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena. Last week Friday, he witnessed his players being outsmarted by Esperance of Tunisia and getting knocked out of the Caf Champions league.
A week later, he saw his wounded charges picking themselves up from the canvas and scoring eight goals in two matches, starting against TS Galaxy with a 3-0 walloping and then sjamboking Kaizer Chiefs 5-1 to win their seventh PSL title in a row.
It is Mokwena’s second league title as the head coach and he has surely entrenched himself as one of the best to have done it in the PSL, especially at the ripe old age of 37.
Even though he deserves all the kudos and the accolades for a sterling job, his passion and overzealousness seem to be getting the better of him, and that could put a stain on his legacy.
Last Monday, Mokwena could have gotten himself into trouble with the PSL Disciplinary Committee after he insinuated that TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic instigated his players to injure Bongani Zungu, in retaliation to the career-threatening injury the bulky Sundowns defender inflicted on Bernard Parker.
The animosity between the coaches was born in their last match, where a barrage of unpleasantries and insults were traded. Things have not been the same since; in fact, it has gotten worse.
The two coaches were not expected to shake hands at the beginning of the match, but they kept up the pretence for the cameras, and the handshake was as warm as ice can get.
And the minute the first whistle was blown, it was back to default settings. The excruciating injury that Parker suffered was still the bone of contention.
While Parker seems to have moved on from the horrific injury and is focusing on getting back to tip-top condition, the SA supporters in general and, to a certain extent, Ramovic do not look like they will close that chapter pretty soon. All 59 of Galaxy’s supporters have been joined by the Brazilians’ haters, the millions of disgruntled Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates fans who cannot stomach seeing Sundowns’ success.
But sitting on top of the mountain can breed the seeds of recklessness. Mokwena’s insinuation and utterances were thoughtless.
Even though he might have his merits, and Orebotse Mongae did go for Zungu, Mokwena could have handled it like the astute professional he wants to be seen as.
Claiming that he has intelligence that Ramovic instructed his players to hurt Zungu is the kind of tavern talk that should not be entertained. Mokwena can argue that, at 37 years old, he is still in his salad days and should be allowed to make mistakes. But Galaxy, are having none of that mumbo jumbo. They are demanding an apology, or they will be suing the pants off the coach.
According to Ramovic, Mokwena, not so long ago and in a fit of rage, called him and yelled expletives into his ear. Mokwena has not refuted those claims.
Mokwena is playing into the hands of the sympathy-seeking Ramovic. The Serbian is an average football coach, but he is cunning. He may have been outplayed with a 3-0 spanking, but he is outsmarting the kid from Soweto where it matters most, emotionally and intellectually.
