Over the last three years, and even before that, coach Morena Ramoreboli took the leap to prove his capabilities outside the country of his birth. His journey took him to Lesotho and later Botswana, where he has been the head coach of Jwaneng Galaxy since 2021. In addition to that, he occasionally avails himself when the South African Football Association ask him to deputize for the national team. Not one to complain, the 43-year-old, more often than not, proves why he is worthy of much more than being a back-up plan. Ramoreboli has set his sights on bigger and better things as he looks to make the step up in his career, having proven that he can mix it up with the best. He discusses this and more in a chat with Soccer Laduma's Delmain Faver.
Delmain Faver: Coach, congratulations on being nominated for the COSAFA Coach of the Year award. You eventually lost out to another young coach in Rhulani Mokwena, but what did the nomination mean to you personally?
Morena Ramoreboli: Honestly speaking, it is the recognition of the hard work that as an individual I have been doing. I think it's been a very long journey and for one to get this stand of the nomination, this kind of a recognition, it really means a lot and I really want to take this opportunity to thank COSAFA, SAFA, the Botswana Football Association because I think I was given an opportunity to grow my talent and to showcase it. I think I have done that. But to be honest with you, God has been good and as much as one would say they have been working hard, but I think we need that grace. Sometimes we tend to think that things are done because of our own doing, but God has always been good to me.
DF: Foreign players have the responsibility to work harder and prove that they were not signed to take up spots that could be filled by locals. Does the same thing apply to you from a coaching perspective?
MR: That's true because you can't be a foreigner and give the results that local guys can give. We need to give more because there's so much that is expected from you, and football in Botswana has grown and I think the competition is very high. I've gained a lot of experience, but I don't want to lie to you, the pressure will always be there because you need to perform to the best of your ability. And there has never been a stage where I can say things have been easy because the demand has always been very high. So, I'm happy that we keep on going and as a team, I think we are doing so well, we are sitting [in] number one now. On Saturday, we played the semifinals of the FA Cup, and it was the perfect opportunity for us to show what we have done throughout the season.
DF: They say a prophet is hardly celebrated in his own hometown. Having worked in Lesotho and now in Botswana, would you say that you are more appreciated outside of South Africa?
MR: No, no, I wouldn't say that. I would say we should understand that South Africa has top coaches and not all of us will be coaching [in] the Premier Soccer League or (National) First Division. Some of us will have to go outside before we can be getting the opportunity locally. I've been to Lesotho, and I learned a lot. I always tell people that it was very important for me to go to Lesotho and learn because when you start to understand [the] culture of different people, then you start also to improve your coaching methods and you become a better coach. I think going to Lesotho prepared me to go and work in Botswana because I knew BaSotho don't think like South Africans. And when I went to Botswana, it was the same thing. But to be honest with you, I'll say it was important for me to go and get the knowledge, get the experience and I will always be happy that SAFA has always been giving me an opportunity as a coach. I've coached national teams, and it has always been giving me pride and a hope that I can make a great coach. I still believe that there's still a long way to go but I just need to continue working.
DF: For the COSAFA award, you were nominated alongside Rhulani Mokwena who has had an incredible season at Mamelodi Sundowns. Have you considered taking all the experience you've gained on the continent and come back to the PSL to compete with the likes of Mokwena?
MR: Honestly speaking, those are the types of people that one wants to compete with. Coach Rhulani has been doing very well in the country and I think maybe it's time that he gets a better competition now and it's also time for us to come and give him competition. I think the time will come when I will come into the country and contribute more than the way I have done. I still believe that there's still more that I can offer, but we really need to understand that we plan, but God decides. So, we just have to be patient and wait for the right time. But the most important thing, while we are waiting, we need to work as hard as we can. I'm here because of hard work. I'll keep on working up until that door opens, but I am a very patient person, I'm not under pressure wherever I am, I'm appreciated, and I'll continue working.
DF: What does it mean to you that SAFA see you as their go-to guy, to lead the national team in the absence of coach Hugo Broos or as we have seen for the last few years?
MR: It simply says that they know where the right person is to lead the team, and one has to understand that, like I said, we have many coaches in the country. And being a part-time coach in the national team, I can be there today, somebody can be there tomorrow, so you need to understand that not all of us will get that opportunity. If it comes, I'll take it, if somebody else gets it, then good for him because the most important thing [is] that job, the difficult part about is [that it] is not like club football where you say, 'hey, I lost three points today, I can recover'. The nation wants to win and for you to give and to get those wins, you need to double your efforts. So, for me being given that opportunity, it says when the right time comes, the Association will know where to find me and they will give me the job. But at the moment. I still appreciate the fact that they still think of me.
DF: Our question then is, if you are so good at stepping in and saving the day, why not just employ you on a permanent basis?
MR: Yeah, maybe. Like I said, when the time is right, the opportunity will come. Again, let's understand something, hiring a coach full-time in any association requires a lot of things. It means that a salary has to be created for that particular person and other benefits. So, we are at a stage where we should understand that these things take time and people who are busy in different departments, should firstly find resources, budgets to hire those people as coaches, as people [that] are looking for a job. We think it's easy for you to stand up and say no, 'I'm ready to coach,' but those people are looking at their budgets to say, 'Can we afford to pay this man for three years?' And if we do that commitment, will we be able to sustain it? If you run any entity without sponsors that are stable – it is not easy. So that's why I'm saying we should just be patient and allow the process to take its course when the time is right, God Almighty will make a way.
DF: Coach all the best for the rest of the season and thank you so much for speaking to us.
MR: The pleasure is all mine my brother.
