Mokwena says he was as stunned as everyone else when Sredojević quit Pirates

19 August 2019 - 14:25

By Sazi Hadebe

Milutin Sredojević's sudden departure from Orlando Pirates on Friday night sent shock waves across the country and his former colleague Rulani Mokwena says he was as stunned as everyone else when the Serb quit the club.

Sredojević resigned a day before Pirates' MTN8 quarterfinal match against Highlands Park and his departure was muddied when conflicting stories emerged at the weekend.

Among the many theories doing the rounds‚ there were even suggestions it was Mokwena who pushed Sredojević out of the club as he looked to assume control of the team.

“I think there are a lot of conspiracy theories going around and a lot of psychological experts speaking about the relationship between myself and Micho and not knowing how close we were really‚ really are and how affected I was also by the news‚" Mokwena said.

“It is unfortunate that (Sredojević's) personal issues have been going on for quite some time‚ and they were affecting him.

“But I think it’s also important that we respect that space and respect him as not just as a colleague but as a human being and as a brother and not dwell too on that and try to focus more on trying to improve the team and trying to move forward.

"That is my focus at the moment.”

The 49-year-old Sredojević's told TimesLIVE at the weekend that his soul was in pain and he was on his way to his home country Serbia‚ where his mother is seriously ill with breast cancer.

There were also reports that the coach's resignation was because of sexual misconduct allegations‚ while other claims linked him to the coaching seat at Egyptian side Zamalek.

After passionately refuting the links to Zamalek a few days ago and even describing them as "nonsense"‚ eyebrows were raised when the Egyptian club officially confirmed his appointment on Monday morning.

He was quoted as saying his appointment as Zamalek coach is a “dream come true” after he was unveiled.