Khaya Ndubane

By Khaya Ndubane

Digital Manager Phakaaathi


Mokwena says he would love to be Middendorp’s assistant

“I love him, I love how he thinks, I love how he sees things," says the former Sundowns coach.


Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed that he would like to be Ernst Middendorp’s assistant.

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Mokwena is currently without a club after he was released by Sundowns this week – a move that sent shockwaves across the South African football fraternity.

Speaking on Marawa Sports Worldwide (MSW) on 947 FM, Mokwena revealed that he would love to work with Cape Town Spurs coach Middendorp.

“I’d love to be Middendorp’s assistant. I don’t know if they’ve got a job available but I know they have an incredible assistant, he is a top coach,” said Mokwena.

Mokwena added that the reason he wanted to work with Middendorp was because he admired the German coach’s way of thinking.

“I love him, I love how he thinks, I love how he sees things. I speak to him on a regular basis…I try to and both are very busy, I understand. I try to speak to him as much as I possibly can but I think he’s got incredible experience and I love the fact that he is so respectable in Germany. He can coach a team in the Bundesliga but he is in South Africa imparting his knowledge you know,” commented Mokwena before reflecting on the times he and Middendorp clashed when he was coach at Orlando Pirates.

“I just like him. When I was at Pirates, we used to have our things in the derbies but after that, we buried the hatchet.”

Wydad show interest on Mokwena

Meanwhile, Mokwena is said to have attracted interest from big clubs in Africa including Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca, who are said to be keen to bring Mokwena on board as their new head coach.

Mokwena’s agent Steve Kapelushnick has confirmed to SABC Sport that there is interest in his client but did not divulge the names of the clubs that are interested in him.

“Obviously everything is still so fresh at the moment, but our phones haven’t stopped ringing – Rulani had a fantastic spell at Sundowns. It’s sad to have come to an end, but we will sit down and consider our options. That might be locally or abroad, we will see,” Kapelushnick is quoted as saying by the public broadcaster.