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Kekana: Sundowns culture made it easy for current coaches to be successful at the club

Former Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Hlompho Kekana at a Carling Black Label event in Tsakane.
Former Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Hlompho Kekana at a Carling Black Label event in Tsakane.
Image: M-Sports Marketing

Former Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Hlompho Kekana says the strong culture and structure at the club has made it easy for the current coaches to continue where Pitso Mosimane left off.

It’s no secret that many were pessimistic about Sundowns’ success and dominance in SA football when Mosimane left them to join Al Ahly of Egypt in 2020.

Before leaving Sundowns, Mosimane spent eight years with the club and took them from chumps to champs.

He led them to five Premier Soccer League titles and Caf Champions League and Caf Super Cup success among other massive achievements.

There were fears that the Chloorkop-based outfit would go through the same fate that Manchester United went through after Sir Alex Ferguson left them as a manager after huge success.

But the trio of Manqoba Mngqithi, Rulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela have held the fort well so far winning the league title, Nedbank Cup and MTN8 titles two years later.

They look set to defend their DStv Premiership title this season and are still in the running for the Champions League and Nedbank Cup as well and Kekana insists it’s all because of the culture at the club.

“Sundowns is that team which I believe has a culture and structure for players to know whoever comes in will just have to step into that,” said Kekana who parted ways with the club in 2021.

“Sundowns wants to be known as the team that has won every trophy. That’s the culture there.

“I believe it’s easy to work for Sundowns because of the culture that has been laid there.”

While many were worried about Mosimane leaving, Kekana said as players they were not too concerned as they knew that whoever was going to replace him needed to follow that culture and structure of working at Sundowns.

“At Sundowns you are following the principles which have been set, to win matches,” the 2016 Champions League winning captain told TimesLIVE during the Carling Black Label’s #TheresGoldInside event at Chillas Lounge in Tsakane.

“Whoever comes and leads the team their job is just to provide directions. The structure is there and the culture has been there, so we were never worried about who is going to come and take over after Pitso left.

“And of course, there will be a lot of coaches to come at Sundowns but the structure and the principles that are there I believe will help them to be successful.”

Mngqithi, Mokwena and Komphela are coaches with quite different personalities and there have been some tensions among the coaches.

Kekana believes the common goal of ensuring that the team is successful will always be the glue that binds the three together despite how different their personalities are.

“They are working with the best players in the country at the moment and they will want to make sure that they complement that. They will want to work hard and deliver a good product for SA football,” Kekana said.

Kekana, 36, is currently without a club and is training by himself as he confirmed he hasn’t retired.

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