Sundowns coach Mokwena predicts robots as coaches and players with ear pods

While the trend for football clubs globally has been to bring more technicians into their coaching staff, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena foresees a time in the not-too-distant future when teams’ armies of boffins are replaced by technology such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Downs last week beefed up their technical ranks with the addition of Dane Mathias Zangenberg as head of physical performance. Mokwena, though, predicts teams will be downscaling on human resources in those departments in coming years.

“I think society is moving into a space where you will have less and less technical members,” Sundowns’ coach said ahead of already-crowned champions Downs’ DStv Premiership fixture against Golden Arrows at Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday night (7.30pm).

“I think we are going into a such a technologically advanced space, with things like ChatGPT. Now with robots you just go and ask, ‘What is the formation Swallows play?’ and it gives you the answers, you don’t need an analyst any more.

“Slowly you’re going to have technological control and maybe get into a  space where players have ear pods. It’s just what I think; I think that’s where society is going.

“Cars are becoming automatic, you don’t have to sit and tell the car where to go, the car finds the easiest route and takes you. And I think that’s where we’re going to go [in football].” 

Mokwena said Sundowns cast their net wide finding Zangenberg, though the club’s highly rated Danish technical director, Flemming Berg, seems sure to have played a role in the appointment.

“[Hiring] Zangenberg was a long process with a lot of interviews behind the scenes, but we had to get that,” Mokwena said.

“Because since December we’ve had a gap we’ve had to fill [after the departure of Riedoh Berdien as conditioning coach]. [Physical trainer] Sibusisio Mahlangu has done very well in that space, but of course with a squad like this and a lot of travelling, we have to make sure we manage that space very well.”

Zangenberg may not be the AI of five or 10 years’ time, but in human form seems the next best thing as he arrives at Downs with a glittering CV.

He has Uefa Champions League experience, having worked as a conditioning coach at Superliga teams Lyngby (from 2007 to 2008), Nordsjaelland (2009 to 2022) and Aarhus GF from the beginning of the present season to joining Downs this month.

He was Ghana's physical trainer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has a Uefa A-Licence coaching certificate and master’s degree specialising in human physiology from the University of Copenhagen.

Sundowns have drawn 0-0 twice since officially clinching the title two weekends ago — against Cape Town City at home then Swallows FC at Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday.