Former Wydad AC head coach Rulani Mokwena has confidently asserted that he has successfully restored faith and significantly improved the standing of the Wydad AC jersey during his recent, albeit short, stint with the Moroccan giants.
The 38-year-old tactician has offered profound insights into his time abroad, shedding light on the challenges, his strategic interventions, and the surprising methods he employed.
Reflecting on his time in Morocco, Mokwena emphasized his overarching philosophy: to improve not just the players, but the entire club’s structures and systems.
“I try to leave the change room better than I found it,” he stated during an interview with Mazola Molefe on Behind the Boot podcast.
He elaborated on the specific areas he focused on at Wydad: “Even with Wydad, in terms of the recruitment of the players, in terms of processes and setting up systems around the first team like analysis, diet and nutrition, the sports science, recruitment in relation to TransferRoom and the use of Wyscout. I’m glad that I can sit here and say I left the jersey better than I found it.”
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The ex-Orlando Pirates mentor acknowledged the complexity of the situation he inherited, noting, “A lot was going on.” His focus on fundamental improvements rather than quick fixes speaks volumes about his long-term vision.
Mokwena’s deep roots in South African football are well-documented and when he joined the Soweto giants as an assistant coach in 2017, he proudly became the third generation of the Sono family to be involved with the Sea Robbers (after his grandfather, Eric ‘Scara’ Sono and uncle, Julius ‘KK’ Sono).
Crucially, Mokwena credited his formative years under the guidance of Dr. Irvin Khoza, the revered chairman of Orlando Pirates, as instrumental during his time abroad.
He revealed the unique mentorship he received: “I don’t have to tell you, from geography, to history and politics of Soweto and when Soweto, and who started Soweto and why Soweto was started and why Orlando is the first community and these type of things, I tell you I would not have known had I not met, to religion, I mean Dr Khoza would make me walk into his office and read the bible first, before we did anything.”
This profound mentorship, extending beyond football tactics to broader life lessons, provided Mokwena with an invaluable foundation. “That helped me, I tell you, I grew in leaps and bounds and when I was in Morocco, this reflection dawned on me,” he shared, highlighting how Khoza’s teachings provided a framework for navigating the challenges of coaching in a foreign environment.
Mokwena arrived at Wydad AC at a challenging juncture. He reminded viewers that the club was languishing in sixth place in the Botola Pro, a far cry from its former glory. His mission was clear: “The reason I was there had passed. I had said I want to awaken a sleeping giant.”
He painted a vivid picture of the initial skepticism surrounding his appointment:
When I arrived, the president said, ‘Welcome, it’s gonna be difficult. I’m happy you’re here, because no one else wanted the job’. Everybody in Morocco felt it was like a poisoned chalice.”
This candid revelation emphasizes the magnitude of the task Mokwena embraced and the courage it took to take on a role that others shied away from.
During the interview, Mokwena made a shocking revelation to bridge the language barrier within his squad. “I don’t know whether that was the right way to do it, but what I did was, I made one of the players a translator.
He was so fluent in English, that I felt it would have been better to have a player that understood my instructions, my voice to transmit that to his teammates.”
Mokwena’s reflections paint a picture of a coach deeply committed to leaving a lasting, positive impact, not just on the field, but within the very fabric of the club he serves. His stint at Wydad AC, though brief, appears to have been a testament to his transformative vision and leadership.