NKARENG MATSHE | If Berg is that good, perhaps he should replace Rulani at Downs

The dramatic, sudden end of Rulani Mokwena’s reign at Mamelodi Sundowns this week brings to the fore the issue of high expectations put on head coaches, even when they may not be solely responsible for results.

Sundowns’ statement seeking to shield Flemming Berg, the club’s sporting director widely fingered as the man responsible for Mokwena’s departure, only served to shine the spotlight on the Danish character, and questions will continue regarding his alleged meddling in technical affairs.

“[Mokwena’s departure] was not influenced or based on the recommendation of any individual associated with the club,” Sundowns stated in their attempt to quell speculation that relations between Mokwena and Berg were strained, frustrating the coach to the point that he asked the club to decide who stays.

Clearly, the club’s hierarchy has made their choice and Berg, who arrived at Chloorkop in September 2023, has prevailed despite Mokwena’s impressive record, first as joint head coach alongside Manqoba Mngqithi, and as solo head coach in the past 18 months.

Not much is known of Berg’s role as sporting director, a new concept in SA football, but from an interview he did with the Sundowns in-house magazine, the Dane’s main purpose is to oversee all structures of the club. In that interview, he spoke of how he had familiarised himself with the youth structures and the reserve team.

He’s described as “highly experienced”, and someone who “served as head of elite football development at the Danish Football Association for the past seven years”. Interestingly, he’s credited with producing “numerous talented Danish players across the best European leagues”, but unfortunately no names are given.

Berg has the profile of a scout, having apparently excelled in the role at Chelsea, among others. But not much is known about his coaching credentials, which is the point of this column.

If Berg is that good, surely he should now replace Mokwena? After all, he can’t have allegedly meddled in transfers, sought reports from the head coach and made recommendations while expecting someone else to take account.

If the role of sporting director means the head coach is robbed of sole decision-making powers regarding matters on the field – and that includes recruitment – then Mokwena made the correct decision to leave what would have turned into a toxic working environment. I cannot imagine Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta agreeing to cede their power on selection and recruitment to anyone else. Indeed no self-respecting coach would. Pitso Mosimane stubbornly rejected the idea of reporting to sporting directors (there was one Jose Alesanco) when he was Sundowns coach.

This phenomenon of imposing people with questionable, obscure credentials on African coaches is pretty prevalent. Berg, however, could end all this by raising his hand and come to the fore as head coach. He can’t be cocooned in an obscure role while the head coach is taking the heat.

The Sundowns head coaching job was notoriously the most difficult in the country before Mosimane brought about stability 12 years ago. Mokwena is a product of that stability, and, whatever his own personal struggles – such as the tendency to get too emotional and display immaturity here and there – his competence and dedication could never be questioned. He set records, broke records and most importantly, got Sundowns playing way better than they did under Mosimane.

He had numerous failures, too, such as elimination from the CAF Champions League in the semifinals for two years in a row. But there’s a reason why SA has had two Champions League titles in more than 30 years since readmission. It is by far the toughest competition to win.

Whoever succeeds Mokwena will have a tough act to follow. Let it be Berg because we would be in a better position to judge his capability.