‘I’d love to be Ernst Middendorp’s assistant’ – Rulani declares his respect for ex-Chiefs coach

Former Mamelodi Sundowns Rulani Mokwena head coach has declared his love for German mentor Ernst Middendorp.

Mokwena recently parted ways with Masandawana after a decade at the club. Speaking on the Marawa Sports Worldwide, the 37-year-old coach revealed ‘his hand was forced’.

“I didn’t want to leave. I have to make it clear that I didn’t want to leave. My hand was forced,” Rulani told Robert Marawa.

Rulani Mokwena speaks fondly of Middendorp

“It makes no sense to me but there’s a lot of things in life that don’t make sense and they happen, you’ve just got to accept. I’m not sure if I’m blessed with much wisdom to comprehend some of the things like this. Sometimes football… Some strange things happen but that’s the game,” Mokwena said on MSW.

In the same interview, Rulani Mokwena also revealed he would like to work with Cape Town Spurs coach Ernst Middendorp.

“I’d love to be Middendorp’s assistant,” Rulani said. “I don’t know if they’ve got a job available but I know they have an incredible assistant, he is a top coach.”

Asked why he wanted to work with the German coach, Mokwena said he admired the former Chiefs coach’s way of thinking.

“I love him, I love how he thinks, I love how he sees things. I speak to him on a regular basis…I try to and both busy are very busy, I understand. I try to speak to him as much as I can possibly can but I think he’s got incredible experience and I love the fact that he is so respectable in Germany. He can coach a team in the Bundesliga but he is in South Africa imparting his knowledge you know. “

Rulani Mokwena and Ernst Middendorp have been on opposing sides since 2019. The former Sundowns coach reflected on the times they clashed when he was coach at Orlando Pirates.

“I just like him. When I was at Pirates, we used to have our things in the derbies but after that, we’ve buried the hatched.”