Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has opened up on the weight of the expectation placed upon his shoulders that comes with working for one ...
Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has opened up on the weight of the expectation placed upon his shoulders that comes with working for one of the biggest clubs on the continent.
Such has been Sundowns' dominance over the last few years, that winning titles has become more of an expectation rather than lofty ambitions set out by the club.
Whether it is on the local front where they are challenging for the DStv Premiership, Nedbank Cup and the MTN8; or, whether it is on the continent where they contest in the daunting CAF Champions League, the motto at Sundowns remains the same – win it all!
Now, Mokwena, who knows all about the expectations at the club currently serving in his second stint with the Brazilians has opened up on what it means to work for Masandawana.
“The weight of the expectation is extremely heavy. Its not easy, but it sounds so much like cliché, but I can assure you that so many people that achieved greatness, the same words ring in their ears, ‘if it was easy everybody would do it.’ Nine times out of ten a lot of people who haven’t done it cannot relate to that statement, when you have done it and you’ve climbed the mountain and you’ve reached the ultimate top and you are now at the pinnacle, to stay there is daunting and actually more difficult than getting there,” he said at the Nestlé Milo media launch.
Mokwena added that having an ambitious owner like current CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe adds pressure, especially with the business mogul’s desire for constant excellence.
“We are part of a big club, a club that is owned by one of the most ambitious football club owners in this country, Dr Patrice Motsepe and his family, and everything they touch, they want to succeed and that’s the pressure that we have.
“The pressure of the club, the objectives that the club have set for us, this is what drives us, and that weight and it is easier to bear and to carry when you know your ‘why’. Why you are doing what you are doing and making the sacrifices that you are making. Your why is probably stronger than your excuses,” he added.
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