South African 'Mourinho' targets continental glory with Sundowns

Rhulani Mokwena is a suave 36-year-old South African who grew up dreaming of being a lawyer, but now lays down the law at Mamelodi Sundowns, the dominant football club in the country.

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Crowned South African champions a sixth straight time this month, the Pretoria outfit have adjusted their sights to the CAF Champions League, which they won in 2016.

Sundowns are away to goal-shy but defensively strong Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria in a quarter-final first leg on Saturday, with the return match seven days later.

"We want to win the CAF Champions League regularly," says Mokwena about a competition that north African clubs have dominated with 10 titles in the past 12 seasons.

Football is embedded in the Mokwena family. His father, Julius, played for crowd-pullers Orlando Pirates and he is a nephew of Jomo Sono, a South African great of the 1970s.

Mokwena has been likened to Jose Mourinho, one of the great modern-era coaches, in that both have been successful despite never playing at a senior level.

"That is quite a compliment, but I have a long road to travel before coming close to matching Jose," Mokwena tells AFP.

"Jose, Pep (Guardiola), Jurgen (Klopp) and Carlo (Ancelotti) are the managers South African coaches look up to."

Modest Mokwena seemed embarrassed when reminded that Sundowns went on a 24-match unbeaten run after he became head coach last October.

He began the 2022-2023 season as junior partner to co-head coach Manqoba Mngqithi, but a three-goal drubbing from Pirates in a knockout competition had major repercussions.

Mngqithi was demoted to "senior coach" and Mokwena became head coach, entrusted with the highest paid but most demanding club job in South Africa.

Coaches