Mamelodi Sundowns mentor Rulani Mokwena has been named the best coach in the Cosafa region following his success over the past few months.
The 2023 Cosafa awards were held at Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday where Sundowns turned out out to be the big winners.
Now, Mokwena was nominated alongside Jwaneng Galaxy’s Morena Ramoreboli and Namibia coach Collin Benjamin.
Ramoreboli, a South African-born coach based in Botswana, has done tremendously well for his team, especially in the CAF Champions League.
However, it is Mokwena who stood out after guiding Sundowns to the African Football League (AFL) triumph in November 2023.
This is the first biggest individual award for Mokwena as a coach, and chances are that he could be nominated for the CAF Coach of the Year award later this year.
Sundowns also made the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League where they lost 2-0 on aggregate to Esperance de Tunis.
On the brighter side of things, Sundowns also qualified for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup later this year.
RULANI MOKWENA SCOOPS COSAFA COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
THE 37-YEAR-OLD’S RECORD AS DOWNS HEAD COACH
No PSL coach has been able to defeat Mokwena in the league since his appointment in October 2022.
He has coached in 49 league games since then, winning 37 and recorded just 12 draws at Sundowns.
Overall, Mokwena has managed 86 games across all competitions, winning 57, drawing 22 and losing just seven, according to Transfermarkt.