Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena commented on his future after their CAF Champions League exit on Friday night, saying he doesn’t run the club. The Masandawana boss said his future depends on the club’s hierarchy as they failed to reach the finals of the prestigious club competition.
Sundowns needed to reverse the 1-0 loss they suffered in Tunis but they fired blanks and allowed their visitors to score as they claimed a 2-0 aggregate scoreline at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. In a response via SABC Sport, Mokwena said he doesn’t run the football club and can’t comment on his future despite being in the second year of his four-year deal.
Coming back to the CAF semi-final defeat in front of a packed venue in Tshwane, Mokwena explained why he benched skipper Themba Zwane and Thembinkosi Lorch instead of a misfiring Peter Shalulile.
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The 37-year-old mentor, Mokwena, despite the defeat, is still regarded by the Yellow Nation as a perfect man for the job at Chloorkop.
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“I don’t run the football club, do I,” Mokwena said after the match via SABC3.
“I’m here because of the results and if they are not good enough I won’t be here. I want to be here, I love this club, I love the supporters of this club, I love this incredible group of players, I want to be here. But as you rightfully say, it’s a results-oriented business.”
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The defeat left a bitter pill to swallow on Sundowns fans who will now hope to lift the Nedbank Cup and the DStv Premiership title for the seventh season on the trot.
Mokwena explained his tactical decisions on players such as Lorch and the evergreen Zwane before admitting he takes full responsibility for his tactics.
Mokwena raised some eyebrows ahead of the game, making three changes to his line-up from the first leg, with Shalulile, Thapelo Maseko, and Rivaldo Coetzee replacing the former Orlando Pirates star, Lorch, Mshishi, and Aubrey Modiba.
“I speak [to the players], one of the most important things about what I’ve learned from some of the many discussions and things that I read is how important communication is and I speak to the players a lot,” he told journalists on Friday.
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“So I did speak to Lorch, I spoke to Mshishi, but I also spoke to Bongani Zungu because he also has just come back. I spoke to Tashreeq because Tash played well and scored a goal last game but he’s been struggling with a stomach bug.”
“I spoke to Thapelo Morena, who I thought even when he came on was very good today, he was good in the last game as well. Modiba also has been playing well for us, so I had to speak to him. But I speak to them, I talk as much as I possibly can, I explain the reasons why – they don’t always have to agree with the reasons but they’ve got to respect the reasons because I’m the coach and I had to make the decisions.”
“And sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong. Unfortunately in this game of football, it’s the results that determine if you’re right or wrong and in this moment, because we lost and we’re out of the Champions League I was wrong and I put up my hand I say ‘I was wrong and therefore I take the full responsibility for it’. And it’s something that I have to shoulder as the leader. I can’t hide, no chance and of course face the scrutiny and the negative reactions that will come after.”
“And that’s only normal because of the nature of this business.”
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Following the disappointing loss, the Brazilians will now look to move closer to securing their seventh league trophy when they take on TS Galaxy on Monday, April 29.
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