By all accounts, ex-Wydad Casablanca coach Rulani Mokwena had a great relationship with the club’s president, Hicham Ait Menna, and they continue to keep in touch after Mokwena left Morocco.
Behind closed doors, however, there was a war brewing with Wydad’s vice president, Kamal Daissaoui, who was a thorn in Mokwena’s side during the latter’s eight-month stint in the Red Castle.
During an interview with renowned broadcaster Robert Marawa, Mokwena admitted he had to deal with sinister forces in Casablanca.
“Sometimes, what you start to experience in football and life is that not everybody will be for you,” said the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach.
“Even the situation of taking a break was not from me, and the reasons were I had no issues with pressure and psychological breakdowns and all these things. The idea was, I was prepared to step down because there was a lot of talk,” he continued.
“I remember one day I said to the president, ‘I cannot take it when I invest so much and work so hard to bring all the players—almost all of them for free—and I have to sometimes from my own pocket pay some of the players, pay some of the staff, go and buy training equipment from my own pocket, invest in the club, and then I have a vice president of the club asking me, “Do you love this club?”‘
“I would never subject myself to some of the things that happened, and still, you know, be subjected to some of the treatment. That’s when I said to the president, ‘Maybe there’s a misalignment somewhere, and it would be better for me to step down’, because I could hear that the talk was, “Ah, no, all he wants is just to go play the FIFA Club World Cup and [face] Pep Guardiola, and then he’ll be out.”
“I said to the president if that’s the thinking, then I’d just finish the season, and I’d go, allowing you to get someone else. The president then said to me, ‘No, rather take a break, and let’s see the remainder of the season with [Amine] Benhachem.’ That was the president’s idea, and he was adamant about that, and honestly, he’s a very good man.”
Mokwena guided Wydad in 35 matches: 14 wins, 14 draws, and seven defeats, before the two parties went their separate ways recently.
He’s been heavily linked with a return to his former team, Orlando Pirates and there’s also strong interest from the reigning CAF Champions League champions, Pyramids.
