Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has confirmed veteran goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene is transitioning into a player-coach.
The Zambia legend was pictured within the technical area with an earpiece, where he was seemingly communicating with the team of analysts during their 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates on Saturday afternoon.
With Goalkeeper Coach Wendell Robinson being suspended due to his red card against Sekhukhune United last week, the 38-year-old stepped in with the duties.
“He’s doubling up into… into a role we envisage for him in the long-term,” Mokwena confirmed at Orlando Stadium on Saturday evening.
“For sure, but he’s going to be doing his coaching badges very soon, he’s just applied for that and it’s only that natural progression in life you know when you move from playing and then you have a keen interest to be involved in coaching.
“Kennedy has that, he’s been an incredible servant for this football club, he’s been incredible in South African football with an incredible experience.”
Mweene joined Masandawana a decade ago from Free State Stars and is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in African football for his distinct sweeper-keeper role and often earning global recognition for his set-pieces and penalty-scoring prowess for club and country.
“He’s won Champions League, AFCON – so there are benefits for the football club to inherit from a coaching capacity. So [it was] maybe fast-tracked a bit by the red card for coach Wendell [Robinson] but the universe works in incredible ways and God works in incredible ways by giving people opportunities, even when we deem ourselves not ready.
“He did very well today, so congratulations to him for winning his first match on the bench as a goalkeeper coach in the interim [role] and we want to thank him for his contribution today and for his assistance in the role he played.”
Mweene has won 13 major trophies during his 10 year stay at Sundowns so far, including seven league titles.
