With only a few days remaining before the expected expiry date of the Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena's contract, there is still hope for an agreement on a new deal between the club and mentor.
His current contract is expected to run out on 30 June 2023, and as previously reported by the Siya crew, there has been a reported delay in Mokwena's contract talks.
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First team coach Manqoba Mnqgithi faces an uncertain future despite his contract ending in 2024, and with indications from sources that the club met with French coach Patrice Carteron, has all raised speculation on the future of the coaching structure.
Despite winning the DStv Premiership title with seven games to spare in his first partial season as a sole head coach at the club after taking over in October 2022, there are still question marks on Mokwena's future.
Now, according to Siya sources at Chloorkop, indications are that there are conditions believed to have been set out by the former Orlando Pirates coach, before he signs a new deal. Insiders have revealed that these conditions are understood to have contributed to the delay.
Various Siya sources very close to the club have informed the Siya crew that Mokwena's alleged demands, according to insiders, are believed to be a stumbling block for the powers that be, in reaching an agreement for a new deal.
"From the outside you can think that it's the club that is giving the coach some hard times but it's the coach's demands that could be giving the club officials a tough time," the Siya source said.Another source further revealed that there has been a request for a potential overhaul of the coaching staff.
"He has supposedly demanded changes in the technical team which he says would make him comfortable working. He has asked that the two coaches, Steve Komphela and Manqoba Mnqgithi be replaced by set-piece specialist Michael Loftman as his assistant and that the goalkeeper coaching position is to be given to Kennedy Mweene," the source continued.
"This is what is taking time to resolve. Some of these coaches have running contracts. This is what is possibly delaying the finalisation of (Mokwena's) new deal," alleged the source.
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A third source indicated that Mokwena may want to be in full control of the squad. "His argument or point is that there can't be too many (coaches) or too big a technical team because ideas clash. He has been in charge at Pirates before and he wants to model his technical team around that. That is where you have a head coach, assistant coach, the goalkeeper coach and the other members who include team doctor, physician, fitness coach and the others," the source added.
With the club soon preparing to return for pre-season, it is believed that no consensus has yet been reached.
"So, at the moment, management is caught between a hard place and a rock whether to meet his demands and give him a new contract or hire a new coach on their own conditions. That's the situation right now," the source alleged.
The Siya crew contacted Sundowns at the time of preparing this article, but no response was received.
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