Mamelodi Sundowns assistant coach Manqoba Mnqithi has hit back at critics claiming he is scared to leave his comfort zone and challenge himself away from the club.
The 52-year-old has been with the Chloorkop-based club since the 2013-14 season when he arrived as an assistant to Pitso Mosimane.
During his time at the club, Mngqithi has won 16 major trophies - eight Premiership titles, the MTN8, two Telkom Knockout Cups, three Nedbank Cups, Caf Champions League and Caf Super Cup.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born coach was handed the head coaching reins before being demoted to “senior coach” when the club recorded a few bad results, which raised speculation around his possible departure.
However, Mngqithi has seemingly slotted back into his assistant coaching role with ease.
He was reportedly approached by Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu at the beginning of the season, but elected to stay at Sundowns, sparking criticism as many felt he was “scared” to leave a welloiled machine for a more difficult challenge elsewhere.
The former Golden Arrows coach has now hit back at those critics and said that fans are selective in remembering the past to suit their respective agendas.
“We live in a country that acknowledges freedom of expression, so any person has a right to say whatever they want to,” Mngqithi said.
“We are also conveniently placed in positions where we can forget whatever we want to and remember what we want to.
“Because if I remember correctly, I have been one of the youngest coaches at some point in the league and there was only one team in KZN during that time, which was Golden Arrows.
“All the other teams were coached by more experienced people and some who were thought to be better than me at the time. But I was able to lead Golden Arrows until I left the club, without any threat of relegation.”
During his time at Abafana Bes’thende, Mngqithi facilitated the growth of many youngsters in the Arrows Academy before going on to lift the 2009 MTN8 by thrashing Ajax Cape Town 6-0.
The former Chippa United and AmaZulu coach also said it didn’t bother him what people thought about him and that he would continue making decisions in the most logical manner.
“So, when I’m at this stage of my career and there’s a person who thinks I’m scared of leaving (Sundowns) and I’m in a comfort zone and all of that, it’s fine for that person to think whatever they are thinking,” Mngqithi said.
“I use my brain, I don’t use my emotions, and I’m sure it’s one of the strengths I have as a human being. I’m not emotional, I look at everything and make my decision when the time is right.”
@ScribeSmiso