Pitso Mosimane targets Afcon glory as Bafana Bafana return remains unresolved

Pitso “Jingles” Mosimane is waiting to discover whether he will return as South Africa coach, with the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title the one major prize he believes is missing from his club-level achievements.

Mosimane has won 19 major trophies with SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly, including three CAF Champions League titles, five South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) championships and one Egyptian Premier League crown. He has also claimed two Fifa Club World Cup bronze medals.

But the Afcon trophy has so far eluded him.

South African Football Association (Safa) technical committee chair Jack Maluleke has recommended the 62-year-old to replace Hugo Broos, who recently returned to Belgium after five successful years in charge of Bafana Bafana.

However, Mosimane and Safa have yet to agree a contract. The main dispute is understood to be over salary, with Mosimane’s representatives seeking the same R1.2m-a-month package Broos received. Safa is reluctant to match that figure amid concerns within the organisation about its ability to sustain Broos’s wages.

Mosimane also wants fitness trainer Kabelo Rangoaga and performance analyst Musi Matlaba, both trusted members of his team, to receive full-time contracts.

The potential appointment would give Mosimane another opportunity to pursue the one achievement still absent from his collection: leading a national team to Afcon success.

He coached Bafana between 2010 and 2012 and was linked with the national teams of Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana after establishing himself as one of Africa’s most successful coaches. None of those opportunities materialised, and his return to South Africa comes at a critical moment.

Qualifying for the 2027 Afcon, to be staged in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and known as Pamoja, begins late next month. South Africa’s campaign starts with a difficult home fixture against Guinea, followed a few days later by an away match against Eritrea. Bafana will then face Kenya, coached by former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy, twice in November.

Mosimane’s first spell ended painfully after South Africa failed to qualify for the 2012 Afcon, co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Following a goalless draw with Sierra Leone at Mbombela Stadium, Bafana celebrated with a synchronised dance because they believed they had progressed on goal difference.

They had misunderstood the qualification rules. The tournament used head-to-head records rather than goal difference to separate teams, meaning Niger advanced and Mosimane was dismissed.

His career recovered quickly. He returned to club football and took charge of Mamelodi Sundowns during an unusual period of decline for South Africa’s wealthiest club. Mosimane restored the Pretoria side to domestic dominance and guided them to their first CAF Champions League title.

Sundowns subsequently became regular participants in the competition’s knockout stages, challenging the North African dominance that had previously defined the tournament. For the first time since South Africa returned to continental football, a local club was regarded as an equal to African giants including Al Ahly, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tunisia’s Esperance, Algeria’s ES Setif and Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.

Mosimane later managed Al Ahly, widely regarded as Africa’s greatest club, before taking charge in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli Saudi FC and Abha FC, in the United Arab Emirates with Al Wahda FC and in Iran with Esteghlal FC. That experience, analysts believe, would leave him better equipped to negotiate the continent’s challenges during Afcon qualification.

He also worked in the national-team setup before becoming head coach, serving as assistant to Joel Santana, who led Bafana at the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup, and to Brazilian World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Although Mosimane’s playing and coaching spells with Bafana were relatively unremarkable, his subsequent achievements have made him a leading candidate to become only the second South Africa coach to win the Afcon title. The other was the late Clive Barker, who led the team to victory when the tournament was hosted in South Africa in 1996.

There is also a strong foundation for him to inherit. Broos secured back-to-back Afcon qualifications and guided Bafana into the knockout stage of the recent World Cup, ending years of disappointment. The squad has a blend of experienced players and promising youngsters, and the core of the team is expected to remain intact.

Ronwen Williams, Sipho Chaine, Khuliso Mudau, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Aubrey Modiba, Teboho Mokoena, Thalente Mbatha, Sphephelo Sithole, Oswin Appollis, Lyle Foster and Evidence Makgopa are likely to retain their places.

Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon, Olwethu Makhanya, Tylon Smith, Shandre Campbell, Relebohile Mofokeng, Thapelo Maseko and Tshepang Moremi are among the younger players ready to challenge for greater responsibility.

Mosimane would also need to assess fringe players including Ricardo Goss, Samukele Kabini, Bradley Cross, Khulumani Ndamane, Thabang Matuludi and Kamogelo Sebelebele. Grant Kekana, Thembinkosi Lorch and Gift Links were repeatedly overlooked by Broos despite strong club form, while Brandon Petersen, Thabiso Monyane, Thapelo Morena, Lebohang Maboe, Patrick Maswanganyi and Brooklyn Poggenpoel missed out on the World Cup squad.

Any transition would be complicated by injuries. Mbokazi, who is based in the United States, has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a muscle problem. Okon will therefore need a new central-defensive partner. Mokoena could also miss the opening match against Guinea after suffering a serious ankle injury in the MTN8 quarter-final victory over Polokwane City last weekend.

The uncertainty over Mosimane’s contract has also created practical concerns. It is unclear who is scouting players or preparing the technical and logistical plans for the matches against Guinea and Eritrea.

Under normal circumstances, the incoming coach would already be travelling around the country to watch players and speaking to PSL coaches before naming preliminary and final squads. The players, too, need clarity because a change of manager inevitably brings uncertainty and possible alterations to the team.

Mosimane’s most recent coaching role ended last year, but he has remained involved in football. He researched and wrote a youth coaching manual, which was released last month.

If the financial issues can be resolved, South Africa would appoint a more experienced and accomplished coach than the one who left the national-team job in 2012. For Mosimane, the reward would be the chance to settle old scores and finally add Afcon gold to his trophy cabinet.

Story audio is generated using AI.