After winning the league with Mameodi Sundowns with Neil Tovey, I left the following season because there were problems regarding bringing in new players. There were different points of views.
We had a fantastic preseason campaign and we spoke to the players and the president [Patrice Motsepe] and explain to them that when you have a big preseason you cannot start the season well. Players are little bit tired and not well in the capacity of the ball. But after few games and few months – we were going to do well.
But you know in football sometimes, if you don’t win games, you are responsible and there is a lot of pressure. If you won the league the season before people think that you will win every game. They are not patient and wait for see the work and results. Obviously, Gordon Igesund took over and continued and won the league easily the following season. But we put the basis for the team.
I moved to Platinum Stars and that was a challenge in itself as well. Club owner Larry Brookstone gave us an opportunity to work and make a project. We took over the team with Cavin Johnson in a difficult situation, it was about to get relegated. And we put the team in the fourth position on the log.
In the second season, we improved the team and continued to work well. But after Larry sold the team to the people of Royal Bafokeng – things changed. The new owners were new in football and we started to have different point of views and ideas about how to manage the team. It was difficult.
If we had continued with Larry [as a club owner] I think we would have competed because we believed in the youth and the people who were working with us. But it was an amazing experience as well and I have really nice memories from the players and I’ve always had a good relationship with the players.
The most important thing for me is the relationship with players, people I work with, the coaches – I have very good friends in South Africa. And I’m very happy with this experience and it gave me a lot to built my coaching career. I learned a lot and everything is important. And even when you don’t have success – that’s a life.
I have worked with many clubs around the African continent and I enjoyed working in South Africa. I was lucky enough to work with very nice people at Sundowns – the people in the office, the driver, the kit manager. I had a good relationship with Daniel Mudau.
And maybe it’s because this was my job as a head coach and I won the league. I follow Sundowns results all the time – when they won the league titles and the Caf Champions League. Like I said, my first child was born in South Africa and the second one in Morocco. I’m very grateful for what South Africa gave to me and I hope that one day I will be back one day.