Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi shared his views on Clinton Larsen’s coaching abilities after ‘some PSL club bosses’ labelled the Magesi FC mentor as ‘not good enough’.
Mngqithi was speaking after Sundowns’2-1 defeat to Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout Cup final on Saturday night at the Free State Stadium.
Sundowns took an early lead through Iqraam Rayners, but Magesi fought back in the second-half, with goals from Tshepo Kakora and Delano Abrahams securing a historic victory.
This win marked a significant achievement for Magesi, who are competing in their first season in the Betway Premiership under the guidance of Larsen.
Larsen had previously led Magesi to the Motsepe Foundation Championship title last season, securing promotion to the top flight.
He has taken his tally of trophies in the PSL to three, having won the Telkom Knockout [now Carling Knockout] with Bloemfontein Celtic in 2012, also against Sundowns. Before taking charge of Magesi, Larsen had been coaching in the third division after struggling to find a position in the top-tier.
Larsen revealed that some PSL club owners had dismissed him as unsuitable for the top flight.
However, Mngqithi emphasised that he never doubted Larsen’s coaching abilities, even when the latter faced a setback by coaching in the ABC Motsepe League almost two years ago.
WHAT MANQOBA MNGQITHI SAID ABOUT CLINTON LARSEN
“I think it’s a societal problem. Also, you guys [journalists] sometimes kill other people’s careers by not being objective and being sensational,” said Mngqithi.
“I have never thought of Clinton [Larsen] as a bad coach from the beginning. He did very well in his early stages when he was at risk of being turned away prematurely, not being mature enough.
“He had good stints with the previous clubs he coached, and he has done very well in his career. It was so strange to see a coach like that going down to coach in the ABC Motsepe League.”
Mngqithi continued: “A lot of people were brought into the club from different countries who could not do maybe better than he did. But we are a society like that. It is in our nature to wish bad for anyone. We hardly wish good. It’s something that maybe you, as custodians and people who can be listened to, should consider. If you are more positive and objective, you will help because your voice is heard all over.
“But when you are disruptive and negative, you always create problems. But the truth of the matter is I’m happy for Clinton because I believe he has stuck to his guns with the resources he has. At Golden Arrows, I was playing like him because I knew there were areas I couldn’t compete in on the pitch, and I must use the 20% or the 30% that I can use to good effect, usually on your set pieces and transitions from defence to attack.”
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