Rulani Hits Back At Critics As Pressure Mounts
Wydad Athletic Club coach Rulani Mokwena has hit back at critics, stamping his authority on the decision-making at the Moroccan giants as the pressure to qualify for the CAF Champions League intensifies after a draw in the Casablanca derby.
The two rivals, Wydad and Raja, played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night after Houssine Rahimi cancelled out Mohamed Rayhi’s opener for the Red Castle. The stalemate has the defending champions in seventh place with 38 points and more likely to miss out on continental football next season.
Meanwhile, Mokwena’s men will see the stalemate as a major setback in their pursuit of a Champions League spot as they are one point behind FAR Rabat, who have a game in hand. Wydad are in third place and have accumulated 44 points, with four matches remaining.
As a result, the South African tactician set off alarm bells on the club’s quest for a return to Africa’s premium club competition, acknowledging that it’s going to be difficult to achieve the feat but reiterated he will see out the season despite constant backlash and scrutiny.
“Of course, it’s going to be difficult because of the results, and it has to be difficult; that’s what happens in a big team. So, I have to take risks to win games, and that’s it. And if it’s not good enough, it’s okay,” said Mokwena, who’s expected to leave Wydad at the end of the season.
“I told you guys will be here; I will finish the season. I will leave Wydad at the front door, not the back door, not the window – I will leave Wydad with big respect to the people of Morocco, big respect to the club, and that’s it. I’m a coach that takes risks; I want to win games, and that’s it.”
While he concedes that the going will only get tough, Mokwena doesn’t believe a Champions League ticket is out of reach, stating that the ball is in their court considering the manner they played their fierce rivals off the park.
“No, I don’t think so. I think everything is in our hands. I don’t think we’ve failed; we played the defending champions and completely outclassed the defending champions, so, if that’s failure, then maybe I have a very different understanding of failure in football, ” he added.
Moreover, things got heated when the 38-year-old mentor was quizzed on the exclusion of Saifeddine Bouhra from the derby, prompting the Wydad coach to call out the Moroccan media for always questioning his decisions, making it clear that he’s the one in charge of the proceedings at the club.
“When I play Bouhra, [you say] no Bouhra – when Boura doesn’t play [you ask] where is Boura. I’m the coach, so I make the decisions, but you [media] question all the time, leave me to make the decisions and die with the decisions,” the former Mamelodi Sundowns boss continued.
“I’m off social media. one of the reasons I went off social media is because of the noise because everyone has an opinion. There are five million Wydad fans, I cannot satisfy five million people; I have to do what I believe inside my soul.
“I have to do what I believe is right because even if we lose the game, I have to stand in front of you [media] and the players, and I have to know that I did what was right, win or lose.”
