I don’t know who’s Sundowns’ head coach: Mngqithi

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi is being very coy on his current status at the club, saying he’s not a fan of positions because they are the lowest points of leadership.

Mngqithi is currently leading Sundowns’ training sessions ahead of their MTN8 quarter-final fixture against Polokwane City next week Sunday at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Attredgville Pretoria.

He has been leading the charge since the shock exit of Rulani Mokwena last month, who has joined Wydad Athletic Club.

Though he was in charge of the team during their recently concluded pre-season tour of Austria, it’s unclear at this stage if Mngqithi will eventually be officially handed the role of head coach, alongside Steve Komphela and Romain Folz as assistants, or if Sundowns will bring in a new man to Chloorkop.

When asked on what his designation at the club is, Mngqithi simply replied: “I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said to the media at the MTN8 launch in Auckland Park.

“The question is right, but you’re asking the wrong person. I don’t know guys, but I can advise you to say ‘Coach Manqoba.”

He says he isn’t interested in positions.

“We must move away from this obsession of positions guys. This is killing our country in many ways. Positions are not the most important thing. In my opinion, a position is the lowest point of leadership. What is more important is your level of influence in everything you do,” he added.

“And I was never a fan of positions, and I never perturbed when I see all these because I like it that in our country, we have different positions and names,” the 53-year-old elaborated.

“Maybe tomorrow, I will also get a new position, and you’ll get so excited sometimes. Positions usually for me, the work has not settled.

“According to some writers, they say, ‘The first thing you have to worry about as a leader, is the permission’. ‘Do you get permission to lead from those who lead’?

“And the permission you will only [get] if a person believes as a leader you possess the qualities of leadership, which is your intellectual capacity, which is your selflessness, which is your class worthiness, which is your sternness. All these other qualities that make somebody to say, ‘I’m happy to be led by this guy’.

“This position thing is not the most important. And there’s a level beyond that. It will waste your time.”

Sundowns finished as runners-up in last season’s top 8 competition but will be hoping to go a step further this time around.