South African coach Rulani Mokoena is under a lot of pressure at Wydad FC after his side drew five consecutive matches in the Moroccan professional league.

Wydad, one of the giants of Moroccan football, are in third place in the table with 44 points after 26 games, making the task of qualifying for next season's African Champions League difficult.

In their last game, Wydad drew 1-1 with arch-rivals Raja Al-Beyda in a thrilling derby. But the disappointing results have raised questions about Mokoena's future, especially after the team was knocked out of the Throne Cup last week with a 1-0 loss to Morocco El Tetouani.

Mokoena arrived at Wydad from South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns at the start of the season, and during his tenure, the team has won 11, drawn 11 and lost 4 times in the league. However, the lack of breakthroughs and inconsistent results have increased the intensity of the criticism against him.

Financial woes and public pressure

A SABC Sport report revealed that Mokoena and his coaching staff have not been paid their full salaries for eight months, although his agent, Steve Kapilushnik, confirmed that they have received part of their dues. The agent described the situation at Wydad as ‘difficult’ due to the unsatisfactory results.

After the draw with Raja, Mokoena announced that he would be leaving Wydad at the end of the season, but emphasised that he would not be leaving through the “back door”, but would leave with great respect for the Moroccan fans and the club.

Mokoena said:

"My situation at the club is difficult because of the results, which is normal in a big team. “I'm a coach who takes risks to win, and if it's not enough, it's acceptable. I will finish the season and I will leave Wydad through the front door, not the back. I will leave with great respect for the people of Morocco and the club.”

Mokoena has previously accused some fans and officials at Wydad of trying to push him to leave, but he insists he will remain a professional until the end.