Rulani Mokwena reveals MC Alger technical team plans

After taking the coaching reins at MC Alger, Rulani Mokwena has outlined his plan for assembling his technical team at the Algerian giants.

Mokwena’s appointment at Alger marks his second coaching stint in North Africa, following a season in Morocco’s Botola Pro with Wydad Casablanca.

His tenure with Wydad AC proved challenging; he concluded the season without any silverware, leading to a rift with the club’s supporters. Under Mokwena, the “Red Castle” finished third in the league table, accumulating 54 points from 30 matches (14 wins, 12 draws, and four losses).

This inconsistent performance meant Wydad missed out on qualifying for the upcoming CAF Champions League. At Wydad, the former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns coach had brought in a full technical team, including Alan Freese, Sinethemba Badela, Sibusiso Mahlangu, and Sibusiso Makitla, to aid his mission.

Now at the helm of the Algerian champions, Mokwena has revealed his key appointments for his new technical team. He will bring in AmaZulu FC’s Wendell Robinson as goalkeeper coach and Enzo Donis as assistant coach. Donis is currently serving as the assistant coach for the Togo National Team. Additionally, Sibusiso Mahlangu will join as the fitness coach.

Mokwena shared insights into his decision-making process on Metro FM, stating, “The club [MC Alger] is insisting on a couple of people in the technical team, which is excellent because that still breeds familiarity.” He believes retaining some existing staff who “know how to win and do well in the [CAF] Champions League with this group” and “know the culture” will be beneficial.

He further elaborated on his choices: “Hopefully, we can establish a good relationship with them very soon. That’s why I’ve got coach Wendell, who also speaks the goalkeeping language, and if we retain the goalkeeping coach, maybe the relationship can be established there.”

Regarding Donis, Mokwena noted, “I have an assistant coach who worked at AS Vita, and he’s from Belgium. He’s coming on and he has agreed to leave his job with the Togo national team. So he’s excited by the project. He’s someone who allows us to have a hybrid because he also has expertise as a set-piece coach. It’s a well-thought-out space, and we also have Sbu [Mahlangu] from the conditioning side.”