OPINION: Sundowns coaches were deserving winners at PSL Awards

It was good to see Rulani Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi finally rewarded for their sterling work at Mamelodi Sundowns, in the form of the DStv Premiership Coach of the Season award on Sunday at Sun City.

ALSO READ: Sundowns coach Mngqithi thanks Komphela after winning PSL award

I have always been an advocate of the idea that a title-winning coach or coaches should win any league’s award for a season in this category.

Last season, it was surprising that Benni McCarthy took home the gong, when his AmaZulu side finished second to Sundowns. Sundowns have vast resources at their disposal, but it still takes excellent coaching to win titles. It is hardly Mokwena and Mngqithi’s fault they were appointed by the richest club in the country.

It bears similarities to the English Premier League’s Manager of the Season award, which went to Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp, even though Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City finished above the Reds.
Anyway, proper service was resumed on Sunday, as the Sundowns pairing that won the league title by 16 points won the award.

It was unsurprising Sundowns dominated all the awards, given they won every Premier Soccer League trophy on offer this season.

Andile Jali and Peter Shalulile took home multiple awards, with Shalulile beating Jali to the biggest gongs, the Player’s Player of the Season and Footballer of the Season.

His 23 goals were instrumental in Sundowns winning the title, the Namibian getting better and better in a Masandawana shirt.

The same could be said of Jali, who has been superb this campaign, and who is unlucky not to be in Hugo Broos’ national squad, whatever the Bafana Bafana coach says.

Jali has bags of pedigree in a Bafana shirt, that would surely be useful against a powerhouse like Morocco on 9 June in Rabat. But clearly Broos does not see it that way, again leaving him and Themba Zwane out of the squad.

It remains to be seen if Broos will be proved right, and he certainly did well with a youthful squad in World Cup qualifying.

If results start to go against Bafana, however, expect the clamour for Jali’s inclusion to grow louder.
Attention can turn to that Morocco game now the PSL season has come to an end following Pirates’ delayed match against SuperSport United yesterday.

It has been a slightly dull campaign in the sense that Sundowns have dominated so heavily, though credit must go to Eric Tinkler for getting Cape Town City into next season’s Caf Champions League ahead of Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and the new money of Royal AM.

Royal AM and owner Shauwn Mkhize’s attitude to cash might appear tasteless, but they have brought fresh excitement to the league, though they did fade a little late in the campaign.

Steve Barker and Stellenbosch also deserve an honourable mention for a fantastic season. Chiefs have already snapped up two Stellies’ stars, Ashley du Preez and Zitha Kwinika, and it will be fascinating to see how they are replaced.