Mamelodi Sundowns' recent appointment of French-Moroccan coach Romain Folz as their new assistant has sparked a lively debate within the South African football community.
Former AmaZulu FC and Marumo Gallants head coach, and ex-Mamelodi Sundowns defender Dan "Dance" Malesela, has voiced his skepticism regarding Folz's credentials and the impact of his appointment.
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"What did he achieve in South Africa that people can remember him for? Seriously! Most people would have forgotten about him until the day Sundowns announced him as their assistant coach," Malesela critically remarked in an exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma.
"Is that good enough for our football? I doubt. But as I have said, Sundowns are not league winners by chance so maybe they know what they are doing," Malesela added.
Malesela expressed his concerns about the continuity of the club's culture and the decision to bring in as a foreign assistant coach.
"I know and believe the club has its own policy when it comes to appointing coaches but I don't know if they looked at continuity of the club culture. If they wanted continuity they could have looked at some of their former players who are currently in the development who understands the culture and philosophy of the club and can work well with a local coach.
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"You can not have a foreign coach assisting a local coach. That doesn't make sense. But they are a winning team and obviously they know what they are doing. But seriously, they should have looked at a local coach who could have continued from where Rulani Mokwena would have left off because he had been working with the other coaches for some time now," the former Nedbank Cup winning coach with TS Galaxy FC observed.
Folz, who is expected to work alongside head coach Manqoba Mngqithi and senior coach Steve Komphela, was brought in to inject new ideas and tactics into Sundowns. However, the decision has raised questions about the integration of foreign influences into the established strategic framework of one of South Africa's most successful football clubs.
As the new season approaches, the effectiveness of this new coaching dynamic at Sundowns will be closely watched. Whether Folz's appointment will enhance the team's performance or validate Malesela's reservations remains to be seen.
