Rulani Mokwena has shed light on his decision to take the helm as head coach of Algerian Ligue 1 champions MC Alger, asserting that the club’s lofty ambitions perfectly align with his personal career objectives.
This move comes swiftly after his departure from Wydad AC, where he guided the Moroccan side to a third-place finish in the Botola Pro 1.
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Mokwena, formerly of Mamelodi Sundowns, was dismissed from the Brazilians before he could secure a second CAF Champions League title for the club. Now, with MC Alger, he harbors clear aspirations of dominating African football once again.
The Algerian giants boast an impressive domestic record with nine Algerian Ligue 1 titles and eight Algerian Cups, accumulating a total of 23 domestic trophies.
That being said, their lone CAF Champions League triumph dates back to 1976, a historical detail that undoubtedly fuels Mokwena’s desire to bring continental glory back to the club.
Speaking on Sports Night Amplified, Mokwena elaborated on his rationale: “It meets a lot of my personal objectives from a career perspective.” He revealed that an extensive post-Wydad debrief with his agent played a crucial role in this decision.
“And after Wydad we sat, and we had a debrief with my agent and we analysed everything. We analysed my mistakes, we analysed his mistakes, we analysed the club’s mistakes because we all felt we could have won when we went to Wydad and then we didn’t win.”
This introspective process led to a clear set of career goals, many of which he found mirrored in MC Alger.
Mokwena highlighted several key factors that attracted him to the Algerian club: “Well a Champions League team with some of the best players already, a team that’s competing at a very aggressive level from a domestic perspective.”
The passionate fanbase also played a significant role in his decision. Known affectionately as “the Chinese,” MC Alger’s supporters are renowned for their fervent dedication.
“The fans, they are known as the Chinese, they’re incredible. They support the club. They are extremely passionate about their club,” Mokwena enthused.
Furthermore, his interactions with the club’s leadership instilled confidence. “The President and the people that I’ve spoken to seem to be good people.” For Mokwena, this move represents a natural progression in his coaching journey.
“And just from a trajectory perspective if you move from Sundowns, and you go to Wydad which is tougher than Sundowns and is a different challenge you’re expecting to grow and be challenged by something even more difficult than the Wydad challenge.”
He concluded by emphasizing that his motivation transcends financial gain or fame, stemming purely from a deep-seated love for the game.
“And there’s not a lot out there because the motivation certainly is not money or fame or anything like that. It’s the passion for football, which is why at the end I said to the people close to me that actually, I’m not going to take a sabbatical. So, I think there was a lot of things that were pushed towards going there.”
Mokwena’s appointment signals MC Alger’s intent to re-establish themselves as a dominant force in African club football, with a coach equally driven to achieve continental success.