Rulani Mokwena must pick up the pieces after his disappointing stint at Wydad Casablanca

Rulani Mokwena speak to Lucas Costa of Mamelodi Sundowns during the DStv Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu FC at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on February 27, 2024 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

2 May 2025

South African coach Rulani Mokwena is back on the market after his departure from Wydad Casablanca. The coach and Moroccan giants went their separate ways despite the former improving the team under difficult circumstances.

Rulani Mokwena’s time as Wydad Casablanca’s coach is officially over. What began as an opportunity for both parties to elevate themselves has not panned out quite as planned, despite Mokwena’s best efforts.

“The Wydad management confirms that the contractual termination of coach Rulani Mokwena will be officially completed immediately after the end of the professional league, in compliance with the terms of the contract concluded between the two parties,” Wydad said in a statement.

The club said Mokwena had suffered “significant psychological pressures” recently and would be granted special leave until the culmination of the season. This also means that Mokwena’s dream of facing off against rolemodel Pep Guardiola at the upcoming Club World Cup is dead.

Wydad are grouped with Juventus, Al Ain and Manchester City for the US-hosted club tournament. Their clash with City garnered much attention due to Mokwena’s unhidden admiration for Guardiola, but the pair won’t be facing off any more.

Titanic task

Mokwena joined Wydad in July 2024, after departing Mamelodi Sundowns on the back of a dominant Premiership campaign. He entered the Red Castle with one mandate: reignite their faded aura as an African giant.

The fact that he was granted three years to try to achieve this, as he signed a contract until 2027, seemed to imply that Mokwena would be provided with ample room to manoeuvre. It was a logical assumption to make.

Wydad were coming off their worst season in a decade. The 22-time Moroccan champions finished sixth, the same spot they managed during the 2013/14 campaign. After that disappointing placing 11 years ago, Wydad went on to win the league (five times). When they failed at this, they still managed a respectable second.

Maybe this is the sort of turnaround those close to the club expected from Mokwena as soon as he took the reins. However, the conditions when Mokwena arrived were less than ideal if such a swift turnaround was expected.

Rulani Mokwena has ended his stint with Wydad Casablanca. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)

Mokwena joined a Wydad team that was undergoing massive upheaval. In late 2023, Wydad’s then president Said Naciri was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and forgery. Hicham Ait Mena subsequently took over the reins from the disgraced Naciri.

Financially, the club was also struggling. Global soccer governing body Fifa had banned it from registering new players after it failed to pay some of its former players, who then took the matter to Fifa.

Wydad was sanctioned for breach of contract. The club’s hierarchy worked tirelessly to resolve the matter before the start of the season, succeeding in this regard.

Then, after an exodus of key players, the club went on a spending spree. It signed more than 20 players prior to the season commencing, and Mokwena was expected to quickly stitch this team together. He was expected to finish second, at the worst.

Challenging times

Given the aforementioned circumstances, it may have been a target too steep for Mokwena during his first season in a league as competitive as the Botola Pro. In fact, due to the issues plaguing Wydad Mokwena said some people close to him had whispered in his ear that he should not take the job.

“I’ve done quite a lot of research, I’ve spoken to quite a lot of people, and a lot of people said to me, ‘Don’t go to Wydad; there are lots of problems,’” Mokwena said when he was unveiled.

Trusting in his capabilities, Mokwena chose to ignore this advice and take on his biggest coaching challenge yet. When he took over Sundowns, there was already a set system created by Pitso Mosimane, who Mokwena worked alongside as an assistant before the head coach departed the Brazilians for Al Ahly in 2020.

All Mokwena needed to do upon seizing the reins was to make a few tactical tweaks. The winning culture was already there and the players he inherited were settled, familiar with how Mokwena worked. In Tunisia, he arrived to vastly different situation, with Wydad not on solid ground and the Soweto-born coach a foreigner expected to reinvigorate them.

Mokwena with Lucas Costa of Mamelodi Sundowns. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)

Under Mokwena the team was bundled out of the Moroccan Throne Cup in the round of 16. In the league Mokwena’s report card reads as follows: 27 matches played, 11 wins, 12 draws and four defeats. The multiple draws were Mokwena’s undoing; without them his team would be much closer to newly crowned Moroccan champions RS Berkane.

Following pressure from fans and the Moroccan, Mokwena is out and will not have a chance to redeem himself next season. Prior to his exit being officially confirmed earlier this week, Mokwena had expressed his frustration with his situation in North Africa.

“The players have given me everything of the best, the staff have been good. But Wydad is a big club, they deserve to win, and maybe Wydad deserves a better coach than me,” he said.

“Of course, (the supporters) have every right to be emotional. They love their club, and you can feel it. In other places, for a big club to be number three on the table is a good season, but with Wydad, to be number three is not a good season. But also, if you take into account where the club was last season, number six, and now number three, you know, we are there,” Mokwena stated.

As disappointed as he might be with the outcome of his daring foray north, at 38 years old, Mokwena has a number of successful years of coaching ahead of him. He must hastily gather the pieces and continue to fortify his reputation as one of Africa’s best tacticians. DM

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Titanic task

Challenging times