Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has lauded Rulani Mokwena for the work he did at Mamelodi Sundowns during his four-year stint at the club.
Mokwena left Sundowns under unclear circumstances at the end of last season and has since joined Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club but he won four league titles, the first two as co-coach and the other as head coach, as well as the inaugural African Football League last year.
His team was also lauded for playing an attractive brand of football while he enjoyed a good relationship with his players and even though he had some clashes with Broos, the Bafana Bafana boss has nothing but praise for him.
Broos impressed by Rulani
“It’s true that to coach at Mamelodi Sundowns, you have to be a great coach. Secondly, Sundowns buy the best players in the league every year. They have a core of 35 players, it’s incredible,” Broos told Canal+.
“These 35 players can make up three teams that would be top in many African leagues. So, the quality of players is there, but it is also difficult to manage 35 players, and he did it indeed for the better part of three years.”
Broos is also impressed by how Mokwena managed a dressing with many quality players yet only 11 can start matches.
Mokwena’s man-management lauded
“I never heard of players being unhappy, even though I’m sure that some were unhappy, but problems between him and his players never came out,” he added.
“On top of all of that, his results were very good, except, of course, and this was the big disappointment, he never made it to the [Champions League] final.”
Sundowns have looked a bit different since Mokwena left the club with his successor Manqoba Mngqithi failing to impress with his style of play while poor results in the CAF Champions League group stages saw him sacked with Portuguese Miguel Cardoso installed.
