IT is either Manqoba Mngqithi lacks ambition or Rhulani Mokwena is over-ambitious.
Manqoba is uncomfortable with the spotlight thrust on him by the departure of long-time ally Pitso Mosimane.
On the other hand, Rhulani is chomping at a bit to be back barking instructions on the touchline.
The two are known to get along very well, having successfully served as Mosimane’s lieutenants.
But it is now a totally different ball game, with their appointment as co-coaches at Mamelodi Sundowns.
And it is the ambition, or lack thereof, which is likely to create divisions in the co-coaching project.
The club’s decision to appoint the two to the hot seat seems more like a compromise deal than a clear plan to take the team forward, post the Mosimane era.
It could well be that Manqoba didn’t want the head coaching job, but found himself being the next in line for the top position by circumstances.
After all, he has not shown interest in pursuing a head coach position elsewhere in the period he served as Mosimane’s assistant.
He has been comfortable lurking in Mosimane’s shadow, even when reports linked him with other clubs.
Mosimane has publicly spoken about the difficulty local coaches face in finding employment once they get fired as head coaches.
And as a result, many are loath to spreading their wings and test themselves in the hot seat.
Rhulani, though, is a young and ambitious coach, who wants to follow in the footsteps of his mentors and become a head coach.
His desire to achieve that dream would easily make it hard for him to resist overstepping the mark sharing responsibilities with Manqoba. And that is where the problem already lies for Manqoba, who supposedly has the final say where there is no consensus.
As former Sundowns player and coach Neil Tovey said, the club should have appointed Manqoba head coach and Rhulani his second in command.
As a former Golden Arrows coach, he has demonstrated his ability and proved his credentials as the right man for the job. That is not to mention the experience he has gained in the six years he’s been at Sundowns and the “loyalty” he showed when he resisted moves elsewhere.
Throwing caution to the wind by appointing Rhulani would have seemed ill-conceived and perhaps disrespectful to Manqoba.
No doubt he has the potential.
However, he still needs to complete his apprenticeship, his limitations having been exposed during his time at Orlando Pirates.
A big team like Sundowns need a head coach.
And it won’t be long before the club replaces the two with a new coach.
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Kgomotso Sethusha
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