Sundowns is an important chapter in my career

Following a brief stint with Mamelodi Sundowns, where he worked closely with coach Manqoba Mngqithi, Romain Folz opens up about his time at the club. Folz recently returned to the sidelines when he took over the reins at Algerian side Olympique Akbou. He helped rescue the struggling side from relegation, finishing 11th on the log in a 16-team league. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina, the French-Moroccan tactician reflects on his time at Chloorkop, the internal dynamics of the technical team, the arrival of coach Miguel Cardoso and what led to their surprising exit mid-season.

- 

Masebe Qina: Romain, thank you for your time. How did the opportunity to join Mamelodi Sundowns come about? What convinced you to take on the role working with coach Manqoba Mngqithi?

Romain Folz: The opportunity came when the club contacted me and expressed interest in having me in the technical staff. I understand coach Manqoba pushed for me to join him, as we have a very good relationship and share a lot of football ideas and common values. This is what convinced me in the first place, the relationship with coach Manqoba and the perspective of working with someone I appreciate, both as a coach and a man. I must also say, I met with the club chairman (Thlopie Motsepe), and I really appreciated our chat. I got to meet a very good person, and it made me even more interested in joining the club.

MQ: Before joining Sundowns, you had experience as a head coach in different leagues. What was the transition like for you stepping into a more technical support role?

RF: It was obviously a different role, but I looked at it with a different perspective. To me, it was a matter of bringing my contribution into a technical team and helping the club achieve as much success as possible. Sometimes you might look at a support role, as you said, with a bit of distance, but I don’t think that way. There are always positives you can get from a role like this one, you only need to be open enough to learn from others and let others learn from you. Sundowns is a big club, with great people, and I really enjoyed working with all my colleagues on the technical team.

MQ: What was the team dynamic like within the technical department? Was there a clear structure and alignment in terms of philosophy and responsibilities?