Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena reveals he considered taking a sabbatical before MC Alger president enticed him back to the pitch

Coach Rhulani Mokwena unceremoniously left Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of the 2022/23 season after reportedly falling out with Flemming Berg, who is the Sporting Director of the team.

The next stop was in Morocco with Wydad Athletic Club, where he lasted for a season, but the environment was not as conducive as he may have wished, explaining his exit, by mutual consent, at the end of the campaign. However, he had already helped the team from the sixth-place finish in the previous edition to the top three, which saw them get back to the CAF inter-club competition and are now in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.

While jobless in Mzansi, Mokwena was linked to several teams in the Middle East, Orlando Pirates, who were at the time without a coach following Jose Riveiro's exit to Al Ahly, but he chose MC Alger.

It was an unanticipated move by many, considering the teams that were reportedly chasing him and an opportunity to work with the Soweto giants.

In Algeria, apart from helping MC Alger to the CAF Champions League group stage, where he has been paired with Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Hilal, and St Eloi Lupopo, the 38-year-old is doing well in the Algerian Ligue 1.

Despite playing three games less, his team is on top of the table with 22 points, two more than second-placed Oran, who have played 11 games.

But how did Mokwena find himself in Algeria?

“Champions League, it was the Champions League, and the President’s talk, I spoke to him a lot, he spoke about the team and wanting to play a certain brand of football, and that was also quite convincing,” he said in his interview with SAFJA.

“I watched the squad, analysed the games, I felt it was a squad that was settled and could adopt the principles I wanted to develop, but Champions League for sure, I wanted to get back into competing for the Champions League, competing amongst the best teams, best coaches, best players; for me it was a big motivation.

“And even though we had offers from some teams that were also in the Champions League, this was a very appealing, in fact, it came at a time where I considered taking it sabbatical, it’s a simple answer," Mokwena added.

Mokwena has further explained how Pitso Mokwena's success with Al Ahly opened the door for him and other South African coaches.

“Coach Pitso had a big influence on [North Africans appreciating Mzansi tacticians],” he continued.

“His success with Al Ahly was probably the door opener. Not only his success on the pitch, with regard to what he did in the Champions League, but also with regard to his work and conduct as a professional coach.

“And also his ability to manage a big changing room at that time showed that South African coaches do have the capacity to manage in the North and deal with the pressure of managing big clubs with a lot of pressure from the fans," Mokwena added.

“Coach Pitso deserves a lot of credit for opening the way. I was fortunate to work with him for many years, and so I know the man.

“To be honest, I owe a lot of who I am today to him. So, from that perspective, I could say that was one of the things [that make teams from North Africa recognise South African coaches]," he concluded.

With his current exploits, it is safe to say Mokwena stands a chance to win the Algerian Ligue 1 crown and maybe one other domestic title.

However, his biggest achievement will be to win the CAF Champions League title with his side. This will, undoubtedly, rank him with the best coaches in Africa.