Coach Rulani Mokwena clears the air over Sipho Mbule’s Orlando Pirates move

Experienced coach Rulani Mokwena has clarified reports that he advised Sipho Mbule to join Orlando Pirates instead of Kaizer Chiefs when the midfielder was considering his next move.

Mbule, who previously played for Pirates, recently revealed that advice from Mokwena played a role in his decision to return to the Sea Robbers after attracting interest from both Pirates and their Soweto rivals, Chiefs.

Mokwena, a former Orlando Pirates coach who is now in charge of Egyptian side Pyramids FC, has now provided his side of the story, insisting that his conversation with Mbule was not intended to discourage the midfielder from joining Kaizer Chiefs.

According to Mokwena, Mbule never told him that Chiefs had also made an offer. Instead, the midfielder simply sought his opinion on whether a move to Orlando Pirates would be the right choice for his career.

“He didn’t mention to me that Chiefs had also made an offer. What he had asked me was whether or not he should join Orlando Pirates and what my thoughts were,” Mokwena said during a virtual interview with South African journalists.

Mokwena explained that he responded by giving Mbule his honest assessment of the midfielder as a player, as well as his view of Pirates as a football club.

“And I just gave my opinion in relation to what I thought about Sipho as a football player, what I thought about Orlando Pirates as a football club,” he added.

The former Pirates coach stressed that the final decision remained entirely in Mbule’s hands and that he did not attempt to make the choice on the player’s behalf.

Mbule eventually opted to return to Orlando Pirates, a decision Mokwena believes was the right one even after reflecting on it with the benefit of hindsight.

“Yeah, at the end he had to make his own decision, and he chose to go to Orlando Pirates, and I think even in retrospect and looking back, I think it was the right decision,” Mokwena said.

Mokwena’s comments therefore suggest that his advice was based on his assessment of Mbule and Pirates rather than an attempt to steer the player away from Kaizer Chiefs.

The revelation has nevertheless brought renewed attention to the relationship between Mokwena and Mbule, with the midfielder clearly valuing the opinion of the coach when weighing up an important career decision.