The South African football legend, Mlungisi “Professor” Ngubane has claimed that he can coach any team in the Premier Soccer League. During his playing days, Ngubane was a wizard with the soccer ball, and was renowned for his technical skills, creativity and dribbling, as well as his ability to thrill the crowd with his tricks.
However, perhaps it’s fair to say, his coaching career didn’t blossom to the level of his playing career. Among the teams Ngubane has taken charge of, the notable names are the likes of Maritzburg United, Black Leaopards and Thanda Royal Zulu.
He has vanished from the dugout for quite some time, and has now raised his concerns about football clubs in the country. Ngubane says the main issue in South Africa is with the clubs owners, who don’t want to grant the full control to the coaches.
“I know football, I can coach all these teams in South Africa,” Ngubane said in the interview with Marawa Sports Worldwide.
“The problem in our football is, they don’t want somebody with principles. You have to sacrifice your principles for a salary.”
When asked if he would take an opportunity to mentor one of the local teams now, he agreed, and also revealed what he is currently busy with.
“At the moment, I’m working with my under-19, the academy, the under-13s, under-15s, and under-17s,” he added.
“Now, we’re going to prepare a team that’s going to play in the Engen Knockout Challenge next year.”
Ngubane says he was the first South African to coach outside of the country in Namibia, where he won two cups, and also qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup.
“In 1998, I coached the Namibian national team as a caretaker coach after their head coach left. Before I left, I won the Coach of the Year award because we won the NFA cup and the Top 8 Cup.”
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