“He Couldn’t Believe It”: Motsepe Opens Up On Emotional Mokwena Sacking
Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe has once again explained the club’s decision to part ways with head coach Rulani Mokwena, describing it as a painful but necessary step for the institution.
Mokwena departed Chloorkop at the end of the 2023/24 season, having served as sole head coach since October 2022. The 39-year-old tactician originally worked within the club’s youth academy before rising to the senior setup as an assistant and later co-coach.
Motsepe emphasized that while the club held deep affection for Mokwena, repeated structural failures in the CAF Champions League forced management’s hand. Sundowns suffered back-to-back semi-final exits in the competition, most recently falling to Miguel Cardoso’s Esperance side in 2024.
Sundowns were eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals by Miguel Cardoso’s Esperance, marking their second successive semi-final exit in the competition.
“Yeah, that was a very difficult decision to make for many reasons,” Motsepe said in conversation with Robert Marawa on the club’s YouTube.
“Rulani was loved by the players. I even say Rulani because I was very fond of him. But coach Rulani was loved by the players. His style of football was generally appreciated by the supporters as well.
“At the time, he had taken the reins, and again, we found ourselves in a situation where we just couldn’t clear that hurdle of the Champions League. And we must bear in mind, he had been a co-coach, then he had been an individual coach, and then he had been in his role.”
Mokwena’s exit came despite a dominant domestic campaign in which Sundowns captured the inaugural African Football League title and stormed to the Betway Premiership crown, falling just one game short of an unbeaten season following a final-day defeat to Cape Town City.
“So, we already understood the capacity of the project with him as a coach at that moment. I think Rulani is a very talented coach and he’s going to go very, very far,” Motsepe continued.
“And, like many Sundowns supporters, I wish him the best. We really do. Sometimes the very hard decisions, the very hard ones, are the right ones. It’s not emotions that will decide that, and that lesson for me was also one that shaped my leadership.”
Following his departure, Mokwena went on to coach Wydad Casablanca before taking charge of Egyptian powerhouse Pyramids FC. Meanwhile, Sundowns ultimately achieved their ultimate goal, lifting the CAF Champions League trophy last season after defeating AS FAR Rabat.
Motsepe also stressed that the decision to part ways with Mokwena was not a reflection of his ability or passion for the game.
“I want to say this: Rulani Mokwena, we all know, everybody in South African football knows how talented he is.
“Everybody in South African football enjoys his educational way of expressing the game. We love the way he talks in his press conferences. We love the way that he sees the game and the passion he shows for the game.
“So, during his phase, because I know he was very emotional, I spoke to him. I did an interview with him almost straight after it all happened, and he was very emotional. He couldn’t believe it had happened.
“He probably thought it shouldn’t have happened. And obviously, he mentioned all the players that had written to him, who were equally as emotional about how on earth you can just leave us like that? And obviously, it wasn’t his decision.
“So, when you find somebody who has a dying passion to almost leave an imprint in a big club like Mamelodi Sundowns or maybe go and replicate what we have behind us here in terms of trophies, you do say, though, that sometimes the hardest decisions are the best decisions,” Motsepe added.
