Still no word on Rulani Mokwena’s future at Chippa United

The future of Chippa United interim coach Rulani Mokwena remains in doubt with club officials still unable to provide clarity on Friday.

The 33-year-old joined the Port Elizabeth club on a loan deal from Orlando Pirates in March and that lapses at the end of June.

The clubs must now jointly decide on his future, with Chippa COO Lukhanyo Mzinzi saying earlier in the week that he was hoping to make an announcement on whether to extend or not by Friday.

But when contacted by Weekend Post on Friday, Mzinzi said he was still not in a position to comment on the speculation at this stage.

Mokwena’s phone also rang unanswered and he did not respond to SMSes.

The situation does not appear positive for Mokwena, who earlier this week said he was still waiting for his agent to hear from Chippa or Pirates.

During the week, report’s also surfaced that some Chippa players had been involved in group training at Kings Beach in Port Elizabeth, breaking level 3 lockdown regulations.

Sources also claimed some training sessions were under the supervision of Mokwena.

Clubs may not  train under level 3 as the Premier Soccer League (PSL), the SA Football Association (Safa) and sports minister Nathi Mthethwa are still discussing safety  protocols around the safe return of football.

While awaiting the green light for training, Mzinzi said Chippa had been looking for a suitable facility.

The Chilli Boys have to look for an alternative training ground as their headquarters at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has been turned into a Covid-19 pandemic quarantine facility.

“We are happy to contribute in terms of saving lives,” Mzinzi said.

“We think that we are going to find an alternative venue which is Wolfson Stadium.

“The municipality is working 24 hours a day to make sure that it is ready for us to train on.”