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Rulani Mokwena has tendered his resignation as head coach of Al Ittihad*, but the Libyan club is refusing to let him go.
According to sources, the South African submitted an official resignation letter to inform the club of his decision. However, *Al Ittihad’s president and senior officials have held multiple meetings with Mokwena, pleading with him to stay on*.
Despite their efforts, it’s understood that *Mokwena’s decision is final*.
Broken promises behind the exit
Mokwena has huge respect for the club’s leadership and fanbase, and was fully committed to the project. That’s why he left MC Alger mid-season to take up the challenge in Libya.
But his main concern has been *the club’s failure in the transfer market*.
Prior to joining, Mokwena was assured that Al Ittihad would *reinforce the squad heavily* to challenge for the Libyan league title and secure CAF Champions League qualification. With Libya now outside the CAF top 12, only the league winners qualify.
He identified key targets including *Fiston Mayele, Jean-Claude Girumugisha, Feisal Salum* and two others. *None of those moves happened*. Instead, rivals *Al Ahli Tripoli snapped them up*.
Mokwena also told management that to dominate locally and compete in Africa, they needed to sign the best Libyan players first. He cited *Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns* as examples, where having 70-75% of the country’s top talent creates the base for foreign players to succeed.
While *Al Ahli Tripoli and Al Swehly continued to strengthen*, Al Ittihad failed to land the marquee signings Mokwena deemed crucial. That inactivity has angered supporters.
Pyramids move agreed
Even late last night, Al Ittihad officials made a final push to convince him to stay. The club still hasn’t accepted his resignation.
But an agreement is now in place for *Mokwena to take over at Pyramids FC*. There he will oversee a long-term project that includes *preparations for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup*, plus bids for the *Egyptian Premier League and CAF Champions League* titles.
Mokwena spent the last few days in Tanzania and left in the early hours of this morning.