Mokwena on Mosimane: Would I learn more under Orlando Pirates coach Zinnbauer?

Returning Mamelodi Sundowns assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena has questioned the logic behind those insisting that he should have stayed at Orlando Pirates to work under Josef Zinnbauer, saying being part of Pitso Mosimane’s backroom staff is his best option.

The youthful coach rejoined Sundowns earlier this week following a brief spell at Chippa United and a period at Pirates highlighted by a largely unsuccessful stint as interim head coach.

In what could have exposed his capacity to lead a traditional giant like Pirates, Mokwena managed just four wins, five draws and as many defeats before Zinnbauer was roped in last December.

Mokwena then reverted to being an assistant coach, now under Zinnbauer, but lasted just one match in which he cut a lone figure, suggesting that he might not have been happy under the German.

Then after retracing his roots back to Chloorkop, Mokwena gave a brutal assessment of his mentor Mosimane and Zinnbauer.

“Apart from making this thing about Zinnbauer and Pitso Mosimane, there were opportunities to be head coach both locally and outside the country,” Mokwena told Marawa Sports Worldwide on Metro FM.

“But the reality is [that] I am still a young coach and I still have a lot to learn which is also a major consideration because with coach Pitso you know that he is going to stay for long and he is a man who is loyal.

"He is a man that history has shown that he gives himself time and sticks to his contract.

“I can’t say the same about the Pirates coach because I don’t know him. But it was made easier for me because I didn’t think that even now when everyone keeps saying that you would have learnt more from Zinnbauer because he is a foreigner. But who said so?

“Because with all due respect if we were to put the two CVs on the table, I mean, coach Pitso is head and shoulders above JZ and this is the humble truth.”

While Mosimane has a proven track record of sweeping silverware on the domestic scene as well as, at one stage, conquering Africa, Zinnbauer is yet to prove himself on the continent.

It is the German’s first job in Africa where he arrived without a trace of success in Europe where he coached in the Bundesliga and Swiss Super League.

But after leading Pirates to seven victories, two draws and two defeats in the 11 matches he has been in charge of so far, Zinnbauer has shown potential to become a big force in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Mokwena, however, still insists that Pitso is the right man to guide him.

“And if you were to ask me, who do I want to learn from? I want to learn from a man who has won trophies repeatedly, who is loved in his own country, who is appreciated in his own country by his own people, who is a black coach that continues to be an inspiration to many other black coaches including myself,” continued Mokwena.

“Then the answer would be that because I am also fortunate but I sit in a position where I know that a lot of people would have said ‘ahh he should have gone to be a head coach somewhere else’ but it’s not about what I want, it’s about when the time is right and we feel it should happen.”