Wilken Explains Why SA Coaches Are Thriving…

(Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)

The growing influence of South African coaches across the African continent is no coincidence, according to former Raja Casablanca assistant coach Darian Wilken, who believes the foundations were laid years ago in the fiercely competitive Betway Premiership.

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What was once considered a rare achievement has become an increasingly common sight. After Pitso Mosimane broke new ground by leading Al Ahly to CAF Champions League success in 2020, more South African tacticians have earned opportunities at some of the continent’s biggest clubs.

This season alone, Rulani Mokwena has taken charge of Pyramids FC, Manqoba Mngqithi has joined Young Africans SC, while Eric Tinkler has been appointed by Asante Kotoko SC. Wilken himself recently departed Moroccan giants Raja Club Athletic alongside head coach Fadlu Davids.

Speaking on The Car Wash Podcast, Wilken credited South Africa’s highly competitive domestic league for producing coaches capable of succeeding beyond the country’s borders.

“The league that we have in South Africa is incredibly competitive. And I think that’s what created that environment for coaches to really push themselves and develop themselves,” Wilken said.

Reflecting on his time competing against some of the country’s strongest technical teams, Wilken explained that the battle between clubs extended well beyond the players on the pitch.

“You remember when we were challenging with Sundowns at that time, and they won the league in the last game. I felt like also in the technical teams, there was that iron sharpening iron.”

Wilken recalled the calibre of specialists working behind the scenes during that period, saying clubs invested heavily in elite coaching and performance departments.

“Coach Pitso, we had Coach Mario, we had Coach Manqoba was there. Us we had Rulani, Micho, Kyle, Michael, three performance analysts this side, three performance analysts that side, sports scientists, strength and conditioning coaches from France. We had the goalkeeper coaches that are now at AS Monaco. This is the level we were working with at that time.”

According to Wilken, that environment forced coaches to continuously evolve, creating a generation equipped to compete at the highest level across Africa.

“I felt like the league grew because of that. We created a hyper-competitive league, which fuelled the ambition of the coaches.”

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