Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has opened up on his sacking at Masandawana earlier in the week.
The 53-year-old took over the reins when Rulani Mokwena left the club ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and oversaw 22 games, winning 16.
- ALSO READ: Motsepe – Why We Trusted Manqoba But Switched Now
- Cardoso – Why I Retained Komphela & Mweene At Sundowns
But after being knocked out in the MTN8 semi-final, losing the Carling Knockout final and two draws in the CAF Champions League, the club opted to pull the plug despite Sundowns at the top of the Betway Premiership.
Mngqithi has now broken his silence on his sacking, admitting he is not holding grudges against his old employers but looks back with pride and good memories.
“In my football career I’ve been in this merry-go-around of being a head coach, in-and-out, but I want to be grateful for what Sundowns has done for me over the years,” he told Robert Marawa on Radio947.
“I don’t want to be that kind of a guy when the relationship comes to an end to be overly negative because I would not have been at Sundowns for all those years – I’ve been there for many years and I’ve enjoyed my time, I’ve won countless trophies, and I enjoyed every moment that had at the club with different coaches.
Want all latest SA football and breaking news directly on your phone?Join our WhatsApp Channel!
“Even in my time now, I had an exciting technical team and I think they did their best. I’m sitting here very proud, I know I did my best and I cannot complain and not say ‘maybe I should’ve, I could’ve’.
“Because of the games I lost, the cup matches, I still believe the Stellenbosch matches were a sour point, because that’s where I didn’t perform very well. That was still in the inception stages of my time.
“But from there every match we played we gave it our best shot, and even those we did not win, I still win we deserved to win with good margins.
“The last one, was one of the most difficult matches this season and not many are giving credit to the opposition but I think we will be in for a surprise if we think ASFAR will be a push-over in the Champions League.
“To be honest now I’m just enjoying the moment to be off this pressure cooker that I’ve been in for the last 11 years.”
