Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Manqoba Mngqithi, has spoken out about his unexpected dismissal from the club earlier this week.
The 53-year-old took the reins after Rulani Mokwena’s departure, leading the team in 22 matches, winning 16. Despite this impressive record, a series of setbacks, including a disappointing MTN8 semi-final exit and a loss in the Carling Knockout final, led to his termination.
Despite the abrupt end to his tenure, Mngqithi remains positive about his time at Sundowns. “In my football career I’ve been in this merry-go-around of being a head coach, in-and-out, but I want to be grateful for what Sundowns has done for me over the years,” he told Robert Marawa on Radio947.
“I don’t want to be that kind of a guy when the relationship comes to an end to be overly negative because I would not have been at Sundowns for all those years – I’ve been there for many years and I’ve enjoyed my time, I’ve won countless trophies, and I enjoyed every moment that had at the club with different coaches.
“Even in my time now, I had an exciting technical team and I think they did their best. I’m sitting here very proud, I know I did my best and I cannot complain and not say ‘maybe I should’ve, I could’ve’.
“Because of the games I lost, the cup matches, I still believe the Stellenbosch matches were a sour point, because that’s where I didn’t perform very well. That was still in the inception stages of my time.
“But from there every match we played we gave it our best shot, and even those we did not win, I still win we deserved to win with good margins.
“The last one, was one of the most difficult matches this season and not many are giving credit to the opposition but I think we will be in for a surprise if we think ASFAR will be a push-over in the Champions League.
“To be honest now I’m just enjoying the moment to be off this pressure cooker that I’ve been in for the last 11 years.”