South African football icon Jomo Sono has broken his silence and revealed what really got his nephew Rulani Mokwena fired by Mamelodi Sundowns.
Despite leading Sundowns to a seventh straight league title and two cup finals last season, Mokwena was shown the door earlier this month, and speculation was that it was due to his relationship with sporting director Flemming Berg..
The 37-year-old, who has built up an impressive CV for someone his age, has since been picked up by Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca.
Speaking to Robert Marawa on MSW on Monday, Sono, who is the older brother of Mokwena’s father Julius Sono, claimed the signing of the controversial Thembinkosi Lorch as the reason for his nephew’s sacking.
The 30-year-old Lorch joined Sundowns during the mid-season transfer window from Soweto giants Orlando Pirates. The move came months after Lorch was found guilty and handed a suspended jail sentence for domestic violence.
“Politically and otherwise, if you look at it, the whole thing started with Lorch. I don’t think it had anything to do with winning or not winning the Champions League. He (Mokwena) discussed it with me,” Sono, the chairman and head coach of Jomo Cosmos, told broadcaster Marawa.
“I think the big chief (Berg) did not want Lorch because he felt Lorch was overage and you can’t invest so much money in a player who is over 30. And then I said to him ‘I can’t get into the politics of Sundowns, I cannot advise you on this one.
“Because the moment I open my mouth, it would be front-page news. I told him that if he wants [Lorch], he must fight for him.”
Immediately after his sacking, Mokwena spoke to Marawa, saying that he did not intend to leave the club, but could not divulge any more information as he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.
“There are a lot of things I can’t talk about because I’ve signed a confidentiality clause that prohibits me from speaking about some of the details. I hope you understand there are things I cannot disclose because if I do, I’ll get into a lot of trouble,” Mokwena said at the time.
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