Rulani Mokwena has confirmed that Sinethemba Badela has joined his technical team at Wydad Athletic Club, while Michael Loftman is currently taking a sabbatical after his Mamelodi Sundowns exit.
The South African tactician joined the Moroccan giants shortly after he was let go by Masandawana, with the task to awaken the sleeping giant after Wydad finished in fifth place last season.
He has now confirmed that Sundowns’ former DStv Diski Challenge coach Badela has joined him in Morocco.
“The work has already started, I’m at the office now already,” he told Thabiso Mosia on Radio2000.
“Coach Themba Badela is also here with me. We’re trying to sort out the squad, we’re trying to sort out the training facilities.
“There is a lot of work to be done here at the club that is a very, very big club. Only a few months ago they were lifting the Champions League, only a few months ago they were in the final of the AFL, only a few months ago they were in the semi-final.
“So it’s a sleeping giant, but fortunately the giant hasn’t been sleeping for too long, it’s a nap. It’s a little bit easier to resuscitate someone who has taken a nap.”
Mokwena then confirmed that he’s looking for more South African members in his technical team, but his former Sundowns colleague Michael Loftman has opted to take a sabbatical before committing to a new project.
“No, we haven’t finalised [the technical team],” he added.
“When you’re trying to convince some of the staff, it becomes difficult because you also don’t want to be bringing in people for the sake of bringing in people.
“You want to bring in competent people who are not afraid of the challenge, and it’s a bit difficult to try and convince people to try and join us.
“For example, Michael Loftman is one of the people I wanted here. But he’s really adamant on taking a sabbatical.
“Because the thing that we had discussed, myself and Michael, was that we’re taking a sabbatical. That was before even Wydad came to offer me the job.
“But now that Wydad offered me the job, I decided to take it, coach Themba has decided to join me. I don’t know what the technical team will look like eventually in the end.
“I think coach Michael will join a little bit later, he needs some time to rest and recover, because from a mental perspective and even from a health perspective, he’s not well, especially after what happened at our previous club.
“But we are looking and also trying to empower South Africans, trying to look at some other guys. There’s one or two who got retrenched at Sundowns and of course then I’ve got to help them to feed their families.”
