WATCH | 'I didn't want to leave; my hand was forced': Rulani Mokwena on his shock departure from Sundowns

Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has spoken out about his shock departure from the club, saying though the decision was mutual, he didn't want to leave the club.

“It was mutually decided to separate and I didn't want to leave. My hand was forced. There are a lot of things but I can't talk about [it] because I've signed a confidentiality clause that prohibits me speaking about some of the details.

“There are things I can't disclose because if I do, I'd get into a lot of trouble,” he said in an emotional interview with Robert Marawa on Wednesday.

Mokwena apparently parted ways with Sundowns due to clashes between him and the club's sporting director Flemming Berg.

The 37-year-old DStv Premiership coach of the season signed a four-year contract with Downs but only completed the first year.

He said his departure did not make sense.

“It makes no sense to me, but there are a lot of things in life that don't make sense but they happen, you just have to accept. I'm not sure if I'm blessed with enough wisdom to comprehend some of the things like this. Sometimes in football strange things happen, but that's the game.”

The coach's departure has left a lot of confusion and sadness among fans. He said what broke him was the team's reaction.

“The reason this is so hard is that part of how I lead is formulating relationships. I've had players on the phone calling me and crying. It's difficult to hear people you love crying. Them calling and asking what happened is difficult. I don't know where I failed.”

However, he embraced his achievements in the club.

“What I'm accepting is at the age of 37 I coached two of the biggest teams in South African football. I've won seven trophies as a head coach, I've won four league titles and I've won coach of the season three times.

“When I look at that, I'm proud. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this group of Sundowns players.

“It's an amazing group of players. I'm grateful to the technical team for their hard work and support. It's with a deep sense of gratitude that I want to remember my time at Sundowns. I'm grateful to the Motsepe family for the opportunity. Sundowns will always have a special place in my heart.”