With his contract reportedly expiring at the end of the season, the future of Mamelodi Sundowns senior coach Manqoba Mngqithi has come under the spotlight.
Soccer Laduma reported previously that despite a united front on the public eye, the Sundowns technical team could undergo further changes at the end of the campaign.
The Brazilians restructured their technical team following a big loss against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-finals, as Rulani Mokwena was named as the head coach, Steve Komphela as his assistant and Mngqithi demoted to the senior coach role previously held by Komphela.
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The Siya crew has been led to believe that Mngqithi is not particularly happy with the new coaching arrangement and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, he could look for a fresh challenge.
Mngqithi would seemingly not be short of suitors, as the Siya crew reported recently that Royal AM have kept a close eye on the developments regarding the future of the former Golden Arrows coach at the Brazilians and AmaZulu also enquired about his availability before the restructuring at Sundowns after they just parted ways with Brandon Truter.
Mngqithi, who braced the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, alongside Mokwena, Komphela, Wendell Robinson and Sporting Director Flemming Berg, has commended African nations at the tournament for appointing local coaches.
Cameroon has been led by Rigobert Song, Ghana have Otto Addo, Morocco called upon Walid Regragui, Senegal are coached by Aliou Cisse and Tunisia were led by Jalel Kadri.
"Personally, I think it’s the direction that African teams should have taken a long time ago,” Mngqithi said via Sundowns Magazine.
“In the past, the same African coaches would qualify these teams for the major competitions when they are supposed to be preparing for the World Cup. "Foreign coaches would be given those opportunities at the expense of our fellow African counterparts who had done very well in the preparation of these teams," he added.
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Former Sundowns and current Al Ahli Saudi head coach Pitso Mosimane has previously urged South African coaches to get out of their comfort zone and take coaching positions on the continent.
And it remains to be seen if Mngqithi will take up that challenge and venture into Africa, should he leave Sundowns.
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