Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has clarified the roles of Steve Komphela and Romain Folz in Masandawana’s technical team.
Mngqithi seems to have taken over the reigns of Rulani Mokwena, albeit the club have not made an official announcement yet.
While Komphela returned as senior coach, Folz joined as assistant, but Mngqithi insisted that Komphela’s position is above the Frenchman’s, highlighting that he is at the top of the chain at Chloorkop right now.
“I don’t think there’s any confusion because I think the media statement that was given out when Coach Steve was brought back to the club, was that he’s coming to assist me as the senior coach,” he told Robert Marawa on Radio 947.
“Romain comes in as an assistant coach, which is so clear that he’s operating a little bit below Steve Komphela.
“And if Steve was coming to assist me, and there’s no other coach beyond me at the moment, I think I’m the one who is leading the team.”
Mngqithi went on to explain that good coaches surround themselves with a strong technical team and he feels very confident in Sundown’s bench.
“Sometimes in South Africa, I think we’ve got this obsession of titles, because I think it’s sufficient when you know who is leading at that point in time, because that’s where the confusion would emanate,” he added.
“Because even at the time of the co-coaching, it was clear from the beginning as to who had the final decision at that stage.
“And even now, if Steve is coming to assist me, and I recommend Romain to join the club, how do I recommend Romain if I’m not leading the technical team at that point in time?
“Because somebody else should bring the coaches that you think will make his job easier. And I must be honest, from what I’ve seen in both Coach Steve, Romain, Coach Wendell and Coach Kennedy Mweene, that department is very strong.
“That department is very strong, and that is what is important for me. Because in football, if you don’t want to miss anything, you need as many eyes and as many brains.
“And at Pirates, they’ve got two assistant coaches. You can check Ntseki had two assistant coaches. You can check many teams have, but maybe the caliber of those assistant coaches is what you would question. Why others look like they are too many when they are actually the same number? Probably it is the is the quality of personnel.”
