Booth sends message to Sundowns boss
Mamelodi Sundowns management should not demand the CAF Champions League trophy from coach Manqoba Mngqithi and his assistant. Kabo Yellow’s former captain Matthew Booth has explained why.
PRESSURE OFF MAMELODI SUNDOWNS COACH MANQOBA MNGQITHI
“I think Manqoba, Steve and the rest of the technical team can take over and carry in with the success,” Booth told FARPost.
“Certainly, they can do it but I think it’s unfair to give the coaches the mandate to win the [CAF] Champions League, putting unnecessary pressure under them. The Champions League or any cup in that matter in the knockout stages you cannot blame a coach for getting knocked out, that’s just so unfortunate if.
“They have been there, so the players will feel comfortable working with the coaches in charge. There are personable coaches that players can relate with, and that’s very important in any team. They will be successful,” the former Sundowns central defender concluded.
WHAT RULANI MOKWENA SAID IN EARLY AUGUST
Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Bongani Zungu is now fully expected to join up with Rulani Mokwena in Morocco.
Coaches don’t always talk so openly about transfers, but Mokwena sounds truly eager to sign Zungu at his new club Wydad Casablanca. “I can only talk about Zungu, with Zungu we are talking, he has got interest from elsewhere but Zungu is very special, ” the new Wydad coach said on Marawa Sports Worldwide, as cited by iDiski Times.
““I have known Bongani Zungu for a very long time and he is a very, very good player and he still got a lot to offer and he is a good person too.
“That’s very important for me in working to align and I said that even yesterday to the players – the most important thing for me is to work with good people and that’s very, very important.
“And Bongs (Zungu) is a very good person, good heart, well raised. Incredible family, incredible mother, incredible siblings.
“So, he is someone I have a lot of respect for and someone I would love to have here but let’s see whether it’s possible because sometimes it’s got a lot more to do with many other things than just football.
“So, we are still talking and hopefully something comes up,” the former Sundowns coach concluded.
WHAT MOKWENA IS SAYING NOW ON THE FORMER SUNDOWNS STAR
“At the moment it is a huge possibility (that he comes),” said Mokwena via the Citizen.
“I am a huge Bongani Zungu fan … he is an irresistible human being, we just have to see. It is a bit more complicated than people think but … it is something I can say we are considering big time.
RULANI MOKWENA ON ALLAN FREESE
Meanwhile, Mokwena has chosen Allan Freese as one of his assistant coaches.
“Look, I think you see it with many coaches now. I remember Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United, he had someone more senior, someone more experienced than him,” Mokwena said via the Sowetan.
“As I said, coach Allan comes from an incredible pedigree. He is a very experienced coach and he is a great man. He has won a lot of trophies also, so you also need that,” the former Kabo Yellow coach added.
“You need people who know how to win, but also people who work with players that are up and coming. If I look at the project that I need to do, he fits the bill well and he was available too. I’m looking forward to experiencing a lot of ideas and the things that he has to contribute and so far so good.
“With the young technical team, sometimes we need experience around us to help us navigate some of the difficulties, and as I said, his record speaks for himself. He has developed some great players in the past.
“There were a couple of other people I thought about, and it was not easy to bring them on board and I’m happy he was available to join us for the project,” the former Sundowns tactician concluded.