Manqoba Mngqithi is a space rocket waiting for lift-off. Having gone from being a successful head coach to a humble assistant, Mngqithi has now set his sights on relaunching himself. The date of said relaunch is rather specific, too – April 25, 2021, the day of his 50th birthday.
Manqoba Mngqithi has sat in the front-row seat, observing Pitso Mosimane build a dynasty at Mamelodi Sundowns and has formed part of the golden circle that took The Brazilians to continental glory this year.
The call Mosimane gave Mngqithi to join his technical team at Chloorkop, when things went belly up for the KwaZulu-Natal-born mentor, was perhaps the biggest stamp of approval Mngqithi could have wished for.
Without saying so in as many words, Mosimane’s trust that Mngqithi could add some X-factor to the technical team showed that the latter belonged in the big time.
Rhulani Mokoena was the final piece of Mosimane’s beautiful mosaic. But deep inside Mngqithi still lies the burning desire to head a top-flight club again – a need further enflamed by what Mosimane has achieved with Sundowns since 2012.
Not one for the spotlight, and less so for media interviews, he prefers to work in the shadows and go about his business in the backroom while his craft speaks for itself on the pitch.
The fact that he’s only one of two South African coaches in possession of a winners medal for every domestic club competition, as well as the CAF Champions League (Mosimane being the other), makes his 2021 D-Day warning rather ominous for those he’ll come up against.
“I still harbour ambitions of furthering my qualifications and rubbing shoulders with some of the top European coaches in a coaching course, to see what it is that they do differently and learn from it,” Mngqithi tells KICK OFF.
“I’ve given myself enough time to say, ‘I will be looking at seriously relaunching myself into the international space at around [the age of] 50’ and be one of the best coaches in the country.
This story is from the January 2017 edition of Kickoff.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2017 edition of Kickoff.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Best Of South Africa's Clasico
Kaizer Chiefs versus Orlando Pirates is one of football’s great derby matches with a rich history, both good and bad, that has helped to create a sports event that is the biggest in South Africa. It is perhaps the only fixture that can bring the country to a stand-still and down the years there has been some epic fixtures. KICK OFF’s Mark Gleeson picks out 10 of the best.
‘There is more coming'
The arrival of German coach Josef Zinnbauer at Orlando Pirates has coincided with Gabadinho Mhango suddenly raising his performance. His seven goals in Zinnbauer’s first four matches have elevated him to double figures already with a loud shout in the top scorers’ award chase. As Malawi’s top export, Mhango knows he is representing many back home, and thus carries the desire to aim high. He spoke to KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo, revealing he believes there is more coming from him.
‘I should have won 12 times'
Samuel Eto’o announced his retirement from professional football in 2019 and leaves behind a legacy that many consider sees him as the greatest African footballer of all time with 18 major titles won for club and country. KICK OFF’s Lorenz Kohler sat down with the four-time CAF African Player of the Year at the Duqesa de Cardona hotel in Barcelona before El Clasico to find out his role in the Castle Lager Africa Fives project and look back on an iconic career that started back in 1997.
The incredible coaching journey of Pitso Mosimane
If Mamelodi Sundowns go on and retain their Absa Premiership title at the end of the season, Pitso Mosimane will have won a fifth championship and become the most successful coach in the history of the sport in South Africa. Soweto-born Mosimane has an all-consuming passion for the game, starting in his playing career and now well into his mid-50s. His hunger for victory remains all too evident, even if the novelty of winning is now long past. With Sundowns he has won four of the last six league championships, and in so doing, matched the feats of four titles won by the likes of Jeff Butler, Ted Dumitru, Gordon Igesund and Gavin Hunt. But he has already gone one better than them by also winning the African Champions League – the Holy Grail on the continent. But how did Mosimane start out coaching, what fueled his passion and what was his journey to the top. It is a fascinating insight, told exclusively to KICK OFF’s Mark Gleeson.
Should He Stay Or Should He Go?
Three months after taking over Orlando Pirates, Rhulani Mokwena hasn’t elevated the club to where the fans expected. This has naturally raised questions about whether it was premature to hand him the job. KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo investigates Mokwena’s appointment, tenure and what could possibly be the way forward.
‘We Know How To Win The League'
Mamelodi Sundowns winger Lyle Lakay feels that there is no need to panic over the pace that Kaizer Chiefs have set in the Absa Premiership championship race, insisting that the Brazilians have the edge in terms of experience. KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo spoke to the 28-year-old, who spent most of his five years at Bloemfontein Celtic trying to get out of the club.
Chiefs' Missing Link
Kaizer Chiefs’ excellent start to the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League season has been a great team effort, but there is one man who stands out head and shoulders above the rest as the catalyst for their upturn in fortunes. Serbian striker Samir Nurkovic was a little-known journeyman forward before he arrived at Naturena at the beginning of the campaign, but has almost single-handedly improved the side’s attacking fortunes. KICK OFF’s Nick Said investigates what makes Nurkovic such a quality addition and why he can fire Chiefs to the league title.
Mano A Mano In Combat With Mano-Mano
Helder “Mano-Mano” Muianga missed out on a dream move to the English Premier League, but says he still remains proud of his career, which he spent mostly in South Africa. Now he hopes his new project back home in Mozambique will help him emulate his mentor, Jomo Sono.
Silencing The Critics
Having joined as a relatively unknown striker, with no eye-popping history of his ability, Gustavo Paez has begun to settle in well at Kaizer Chiefs over the last six months, and is looking to help Amakhosi return to their glory days in the 2017/18 Premier Soccer League season. Everyone took a dig at his journeyman background and they expected to see another failed mercenary unpack their suitcase at Naturena. Oh, how wrong they were …
Jayiya Lives Childhood Dream
Bhongolwethu Jayiya was part of Cape Town City’s whirlwind debut season, contributing an outstanding hat-trick against Chippa United as the Citizens finished an impressive third on the Absa Premiership table. Now that he has made the incredible step up to the Glamour Boys, a life-long dream of his, the pressure to achieve has been turned up a few notches. Here he tells KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo about his journey to Naturena.
