Watching Manchester City dismantling Wydad Athletico in the group stages of the Fifa Club World Cup midweek, one could not help but spare a thought for their former coach Rulani Mokwena.
Mokwena was a few games away from realising his dream of coaching at this prestigious tournament and at the age of 38, he was well on his way to become one of the youngest coaches to have ever coached at that level. But Wydad cruelly gave him the boot; a dream was deferred.
What gets my goat, and millions of other SA football lovers, is the manner in which the Moroccans ended his dream of playing against and meeting his role model, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiolla. Like Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre, it all went Up in Smoke, a mere six weeks before kick-off. That must have hurt.
But it seems Mokwena’s gods were not smiling upon this Kwena ya Meetsi, a son of the soil. Mamelodi Sundowns started the craze when, out of the blue, they fired him after he won the DStv Premiership, having lost one match, the last of the season. His ticket to lead Sundowns to the Club World Cup was confirmed and ready to be clipped.
His sin, which is still mind-boggling, was that Sundowns were eliminated in the semifinals of the CAF Champions League.
Mokwena must have had difficulty believing his luck when Club World Cup-bound Wydad came knocking – and all of a sudden, the dream was revived, yet again, only to be shattered when his travelling bags were already packed.
Still, he’s not one to give up and maybe one day he will get to coach at the tournament. Who knows, he may surprise the world and lead his amateur side Black Poison to the Fifa Club World Cup glory one day.
But on a serious note, and if the rumours are true, he may just replace Jose Riveiro at Orlando Pirates and have a second bite at the cherry. With the Buccaneers, who took the continent by storm last season, he stands a much better chance of fulfilling his dream.
Veteran media man Jeff Moloi was equally not impressed with Wydad and wrote on Facebook: “I will not be supporting Wydad. I wish they were playing Bayern and get five. Or PSG. I don’t trust City; they won’t be ruthless enough.
“Wydad ruined a young African’s chance to touch the skies and be at one with his spiritual master, his Godfather [Pep Guardiolla]. For this, Wydad must cry against Manchester City. They must be made to hate football. For Rulani.”
Mokwena told iDiski Times that playing against Pep would have been like a practical exam between student and master.
“Yeah, it’s a missed opportunity, no question about it,” Mokwena told the publication.
“But that doesn’t mean this is the last opportunity to try to write the exam. Maybe God is preparing a bigger exam, but of course, with Pep Guardiola now, it would’ve been an
opportunity for a great practical exam, with the new Wydad squad, this would have been like a master class at Harvard University. I’ve studied his principles for many years, and to test that knowledge would’ve been invaluable and, of course, a great moment.”
“But football, like life, moves forward, and I’m channelling that disappointment into my next challenge, preparing myself for the next chance while wishing Wydad all the best.”
But we have trust in Mokwena that this was just a sad chapter that will leave invaluable life lessons. We are confident that he is crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s as he plots to bounce back to big time football. He’s such an asset for SA football.
