In a one-on-one with KickOff, Bafana Bafana legend Teko Modise goes into detail on his belief that Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena is not getting the credit he deserves, revealing why this is a trend in SA.
Mokwena was announced as sole head coach of The Brazilians in October 2022 and, remarkably, is yet to taste league defeat, playing 51 matches without a single loss.
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He also guided the team to two consecutive semi-finals in the CAF Champions League and won the first edition of the African Football League.
Modise, who sat down with KickOff at the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Ya Rona Fan Experience on Saturday, is no stranger to somewhat unappreciated success.
'Dona' won the PSL Footballer of the Season back-to-back, in 2007/08 and 2008/09 respectively.
That incredible achievement is, however, tainted by criticism from sections of supporters over failure to lift silverware for his then team, Orlando Pirates, during his best years.
For a large part of his time with the Buccaneers, he was painted as 'self-centered', some going as far as labelling him 'cursed'.
Of course, Modise won the league title with Pirates in the 2010/11 season and went on to win two more with Sundowns, in addition to the CAF Champions League.
"It's just that when it comes to into yase khaya (something homegrown), we always tend to criticise," Modise says.
"We are always trying to see what is it that is wrong because they are so good [at what they do], there must be something that they do over and above.
"But if someone from anywhere comes into South Africa and does even half of that, they get a red carpet, we give them all the flowers.
"That's why you see so many foreign coaches being rotated in the PSL for the last 20 years, but you never see a South African coach [get the same opportunity].
"As a South African coach, you coach one game and you lose and they fire you. So, we never really praise our own.
????????'?? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? Congratulations to our phenomenal coach, Rulani Mokwena for claiming the achievement of Men's Coach of the Year! ????#Sundowns #COSAFAAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/pCPfup6a0J
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) May 9, 2024
Now to Mokwena, for whom there seems to be no in-between - you either love him or hate him.
"One thing I like is, you look at coach Rulani, he is young and inspiring all the other young coaches.
"Now you have Thabo September on the bench, we had Mabhudi Khenyeza, you had Vusumuzi Vilakazi - these are all young coaches that we want to see, to grow with the players and to change the South Africa coaching game.
"Once you have a successful coach that is young, it always inspires the younger ones to come through.
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"The reason why I feel like coach Rulani is not being given his flowers is because ever since he became head coach at Mamelodi Sundowns, he hasn't lost a league game, [but] nobody cares, nobody is saying anything.
"People say, 'Oh, he's winning because he has players'. But no, you still have to coach them. People say any coach can win if they coach Mamelodi Sundowns - no, but you still have to coach.
"Look at how many players are getting better every day at that club."
Mokwena was honoured at the recent COSAFA Awards with the Men's Coach of the Year award, fending off competition from Jwaneng Galaxy's Morena Ramoreboli and Namibia head coach Colin Benjamin.