Orlando Pirates legend not eager for Rulani’s return

Orlando Pirates legend Moeneeb Josephs is not keen on having Rulani Mokwena back at the club.

The 38-year-old coach is one of the candidates to replace Jose Riveiro, who announced his shock departure from Orlando Pirates at the end of the season. Mokwena has had a stint with the Buccaneers but his stay was short-lived due to poor results.

Speaking on Soccerbeat podcast, the former Bafana Bafana keeper felt Rulani was not the perfect fit for Orlando Pirates.

“If we’re looking at wanting to bring him back to Orlando Pirates, as good a coach as he is, why would we put on old shoes again? Why would you go back again?” Josephs asked.

“From what I can remember, when he was with us, there were a whole lot of issues, there were tantrums, our supporters weren’t too happy as well.

“It was boiling there with him. For me, he left a sour taste in my mouth when he left Orlando Pirates.”

Moeneeb feels Rulani will change the culture at Orlando Pirates

Josephs said, although he respects Mokwena as a coach, he felt he might destabilise the good foundation Riveiro laid at the club.

“At Orlando Pirates, we’ve got this culture that coach Jose has brought. We don’t need someone to come and change that culture. We need someone to add to that culture.

“I love him as a coach, but I understand that there’s a lot of ego involved, and we don’t need that at the moment.”

Rulani joining Orlando Pirates is likely given that the 38-year-old coach announced his departure from Wydad Casablanca. Having spent just one season in Morocco, Mokwena has struggled to get the team back to the top.

Do you want to see Mokwena back at Pirates?

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