Sundowns cup shock completes Clinton Larsen’s coaching revival at Magesi

Clinton Larsen took time to reflect on a remarkable yet rollercoaster journey he's had as a professional football coach in South Africa after winning the Carling Knockout with top-flight rookies Magesi FC.

In what will go down among South Africa's famous cup final upsets, the 13-year-old club from the little village of Moletsi in Limpopo, nicknamed Dikwena tsa Meetse (Water Crocodiles), stunned star-studded, seven-time successive league champions Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 at Free State Stadium on Saturday.

It was a sweet victory for the Durban-born Larsen as it reminded him of the day he did the same with Bloemfontein Celtic 12 years ago when Joel Mogorosi's contested goal gave Phunya Selesele a 1-0 victory over Sundowns in the Telkom Knockout final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on December 2 2012. 

“This one [Saturday's win] was a lot more difficult. That win in 2012, even though they [Sundowns] had Hlompho Kekana and Khama Billiat, at least we were not playing against the national team. This felt like playing against Bafana Bafana tonight.

“Six of these players started [for Bafana] the other day [in their 3-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win against South Sudan in Cape Town on Tuesday] and a few more were on the bench. They had so much quality and I thought, also, I had a lot more experience in that Celtic team in 2012. In this group I've got six of my starters with only six games in the PSL.

“This probably ranks right up there with any of my achievements as a coach. It's been 21 years since I started coaching with Durban Stars in Durban in the 2003-04 season and I've only been in two cup finals. That should tell you how difficult it is to get to a cup final.”

Sadly, after the 2012 win that came when Larsen was just 40 years old and a few years into his coaching career, his star in South African football seemed to dim to a point where he was coaching Summerfield Dynamos in the third tier between 2021 and 2023.

That was before the once-highly respected midfielder, who won the inaugural Premier Soccer League title as part of Manning Rangers' shock victory in 1996-97 and again with Orlando Pirates in 2000-01, had his coaching career resurrected at Magesi from January 2023. He joined the Limpopo side as they were battling midway through the 2022-23 Motsepe Foundation Championship campaign, helping them finish 12th before promoting them as champions the following season.

On Saturday, after a remarkable come-from-behind victory over Sundowns, with Tshepo Kakora and Delano Abrahams scoring 48th and 87th minute replies to Iqraam Rayners' 36th-minute opener, Larsen spoke proudly of his journey.

“Ja, it wasn't easy when I arrived at the club,” the 53-year-old Larsen, famously from Clermont, near the old airport south of Durban, said. “I think they had just lost 6-0 to JDR a week before I arrived. They were panicking and again coach Jackie Ledwaba [now one of his assistants] was feeling a little bit of pressure.”

“In that first half of the season when I joined it was all about stability. In the second half I really had a strong feeling we could push because we brought in a few players like Deolin Mekoa, Samuel Darpoh, Motsie Matima and Wonderboy Makhubu, and I needed that.

“Last season we had a simple plan — try to win games and defend the lead. The simple plan worked for us. It was not a league where you needed to count the passes you made. I think we scored 43 goals and found ourselves in the PSL. 

“Unfortunately, it was a tough transfer window for us [ahead of the 2024-25 Betway Premiership season] and all the players we were targeting to sign after gaining promotion we couldn't get, mostly because their salary bracket was way out of what we could afford as a club.

“We had to revise our recruitment strategy, and we looked at the players who were available. I had seen Delano Abrahams playing [for Pretoria University] in the play-offs against Richards Bay. I though he was decent player and could help us. Limbikani Mzava [came in from AmaZulu] and fortunately we managed to get Makhubu on loan again from Sekhukhune United.

Sometimes when you're a coach and you're at the club and it is relegated, somehow people lose faith in your ability as a coach. I went to a Polokwane City [from December 2019 to September 2020] where the day I arrived they had just lost 10 games in a row. From 30 points they got zero and we were going into a [biosafe] bubble [for Covid-19], and it was a really complicated bubble for Polokwane City. Things didn't work out and the club was relegated and probably some PSL bosses felt this coach is not good enough. 

—  Clinton Larsen

“Once we got those players, I thought with this group we could start to be at least competitive, knowing we were not strong enough to be at the top end of the table. There's a lot of work ahead for us and we're the team with poorest stats, by the way. 

“But there's something the stats don't show and that is the attitude and the work rate of the team. The stats will show less possession, they will show we've got more shots against us, we used the ball in our half. But nobody works harder than Magesi players.”

Larsen — a coach who's managed to roll up his sleeves and bounce back after so many had written him off — should include himself among his hard workers.

“It depends who you ask if I was written off,” the humble, soft-spoken Magesi boss said. “Some of you didn't write me off, but they gave me an opportunity. Maybe you're talking PSL.

“Sometimes when you're a coach and you're at the club and it is relegated, somehow people lose faith in your ability as a coach. I went to a Polokwane City [from December 2019 to September 2020] where the day I arrived they had just lost 10 games in a row.

“From 30 points they got zero and we were going into a [biosafe] bubble [for Covid-19], and it was a really complicated bubble for Polokwane City. Things didn't work out and the club was relegated and probably some PSL bosses felt this coach is not good enough.

“For three seasons I was out of the PSL, but I still worked in the ABC [Motsepe League, or third tier] and joined Magesi in the first division and now I'm trying to survive one more time in the PSL.”