With Pitso Mosimane and Rulani Mokwena set to turn into rivals on Saturday, the Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach has opened up on their ‘family-like’ relationship.
Mokwena spoke exclusively to iDiski Times’ writer David Kappel and you can read the full interview in this week’s edition of our newspaper.
The 35-year-old revealed how much admiration he has for the Al Ahly boss before insisting Saturday’s CAF Champions League quarter-final first leg is not about the two coaches.
“Coach Pitso is someone I’ve got a lot of respect for. He’s someone that has helped me a lot in my in my coaching career, taught me a lot and has given me a lot of opportunities,” he said.
“A lot of opportunities to grow, to become a better coach, a better person but also someone I have a very good relationship with.
“Coach Pitso’s story with my family goes a very long way and I consider myself part of his family. And of course within families there’s going to be disagreements, but I think a lot of people do not know the extent of my admiration.
“The extent of my respect, the extent of my appreciation towards coach Pitso. He is someone that I look up to and he’s someone that inspires me a lot, and someone that I’m very proud to know and to have good relations with.
“Of course, next week becomes an important game for Mamelodi Sundowns. It is not important for myself or coach Pitso, it has nothing to do with the coaches.
“It is about two very good teams in a very big competition with very big expectations from both clubs in relation to the goals and the targets that have been set by owners, by the presidents of the club, by the supporters.
“And that’s where we are, it’s a football match at the end of the day and you try as best as you can to play the football match and not the occasion, and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”
“IT’S NOT US vs PITSO,” Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Rulani Mokwena told iDiski Times‘ David Kappel and you can read his full exclusive interview, where he also chats about his relationship with Mosimane and how Downs will prepare for Al Ahly, why he admires Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, which advise Jurgen Klopp gave him as well as his dream of coaching in Europe, in this week’s edition – available in English and Zulu.
