Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has revealed what he has in common with Magesi FC mentor Clinton Larsen with the two set to face off in the Carling Knockout Cup final.
The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 23rd, at the Free Stadium with an 18:00 kickoff.
This will be Magesi’s first top-flight cup final following their promotion to the Betway Premiership this season after winning the Motsepe Foundation Championship under coach Larsen.
Mngqithi has conveyed his profound respect for the Magesi gaffer, noting that they share the experience of climbing the ladder of South African football, coaching at various levels before their break in the elite league.
He stated that they have navigated the challenges of coaching in resource-constrained environments.
MANQOBA MNGQITHI – ‘CLINTON’S JOURNEY IS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO MY JOURNEY’
“I always have a lot of respect for coaches that have coached at almost all the levels of football,” said Mngqithi ahead of the Carling Knockout Cup final.
“I have a lot of respect for those coaches because they are not talking about something they don’t know. They have experienced it.
“There are a lot of people that have got so much to say in football, but they are so limited because they have not really experienced practically to coach in environments that may not have anything to support you, but you still expect it to bring the results.
“And Clinton, his journey is probably as close as possible to my journey in football.
“I think he has coached in almost all the levels in football. LFA football, development football, SAB league, ABC Motsepe League, NFD and all these levels. And when he talks, I think I always listen because I know it’s coming from not just knowledge but wisdom.”
Mngqithi acknowledges the threat posed by Larsen’s Magesi side, particularly remembering their previous encounters with Bloemfontein Celtic under Larsen’s guidance.
MNGQITHI ON LARSEN – ‘HE BEAT US 5-0’
“So I have a lot of respect for that. And I am going to this match with a coach that I know he is not sitting on his laurels. He is trying to find the best possible solutions to deal with what everybody thinks is a favourite,” Manqoba Mngqithi continued.
“And he has always done very well. And I have shared these stories with the players. I want them to know they are not playing just any other coach.
“When he was at Bloemfontein Celtic, I think it was in one of my first seasons here [Larsen beat us] with five goals because we were too big, and we thought we don’t deserve to concede, and we went helter-skelter, opened and scored the second, scored the third.
“By the time we realised, it was 5-0. And it’s the same coach that has won this trophy. It was called Telkom [Knockout now known as the Carling Knockout Cup] at that time, against Sundowns with a Celtic team of Joel Mogorosi and those guys.
“And we know the type of coach we are playing against and for me these are usually the most difficult matches. I never leave any stone unturned when it comes to these matches because where everybody expects you to win, for me those are the most difficult matches to win.
“Because even when you win, it’s a by the way. But when you lose, it’s a spectacle. And that is the most important thing for me when we’re playing matches like this.
“I respect Clinton so much as a coach because I know he may not have as many resources. But with the little bit that he has, he knows what it means to beat a favourite as an underdog. I’ve been there many times as well.”
RELATED STORY: ‘I’m feeling like Tom Cruise’: Clinton Larsen
