DStv Premiership-winning coach Rulani Mokwena and Mamelodi Sundowns are set part ways only 12 months into his new four-year contract.
SABC Sport reported on Tuesday that “a broken working relationship” between Rulani Mokwena and sporting director Flemming Berg is the chief reason for this unexpected bombshell.
The two apparently have had difficulties pulling in the same direction for some time now, while tensions escalated after the team offloaded key players before making any new signings ahead of their pre-season camp in Austria later in July.
Sundowns have released defender Brian Onyango, midfielders Bongani Zungu and Gaston Sirino as well as striker Thabiso Kutumela. Attacker Junior Mendieta told a radio station in his native Argentina that he is likely to move to Greece.
According to SABC Sport, Mokwena, who won the DStv Premiership with Sundowns with six games to spare and was crowned the Coach of the Season, was not present on Monday when the first group of players returned to Chloorkop for medicals, although it’s not clear whether Mokwena was expected to report for duty with pre-season only scheduled for later in the week.
Mokwena has delivered four league trophies for Sundowns, two of them as co-coach with Manqoba Mngqithi and the others since becoming sole head coach.
Last season Mokwena also guided Sundowns to the first ever African Football League, but they couldn’t achieve their main goal, which was to win the CAF Champions League.
Mngqithi is apparently set to take over on an interim basis during their pre-season preparations .
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