Wydad AC confirms Rulani Mokwena ‘exceptional’ departure
- Peter Kanjere
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Rulani Mokwena is technically no longer the coach of Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club. This follows the Botola Pro team’s latest announcement that it has granted the South African an exceptional leave beyond the side’s last match of the season.
The statement released on Tuesday further adds that management for the Moroccan giants will formally terminate Mokwena’s contract at the end of the season.
“The board of directors of Wydad Athletic Club announces, at the request of the first-team coach, Rulani Mokwena, that he has been granted an exceptional leave extending beyond the team’s last match in the professional championship, due to the great psychological pressures he has experienced recently,” the club’s statement reads.
“The Wydad Athletic Club management confirms that the termination of the contractual relationship with coach Rulani Mokwena will take place officially immediately after the end of the professional championship, out of respect for the terms of the contract concluded between the two parties.”
Wydad has since named Amine Benhachem as the team’s interim coach for the rest of the season until a substantive appointment is made. With 14 wins, 14 draws, and seven defeats in all competitions, the former Mamelodi Sundowns mentor is leaving after enduring a tough spell in Morocco.
He earlier confirmed that he would step down with Wydad AC lying in third place, fifteen points behind champions RS Berkane, saying the Moroccan side deserves a better coach than him.
"It is up to the president. I already said that at the end, I will leave. I love Wydad. I will only coach Wydad in Morocco. If I leave, I will leave as Wydad. I thank the president, he is the best president in Morocco, maybe in Africa," he said.
The former Sundowns handler has often vented his frustrations over a lack of patience, even when his team had more new players who are still adapting.
