Mosimane urged to build on Broos’ foundation as Bafana prepare for AFCON qualifiers

Pitso Mosimane has been advised to avoid major changes when he names his first preliminary South Africa squad since returning as Bafana Bafana head coach.

South African football legend Ephraim “Jomo” Sono believes Mosimane should build on the work of his predecessor, Hugo Broos, with the team facing a limited preparation period before the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Speaking to Thabiso Mosia on Radio 2000’s Game On sports show, Sono said the Belgian coach had provided Mosimane with a strong platform and that continuity would be important.

“Broos built a good foundation for Pitso, who only has a short space of time to prepare the team for the upcoming matches so he must not bring in new players and say we are building a new Bafana Bafana. All the players know each other and they understand the general style of play so Pitso must not make too many changes to the team that went to the World Cup.”

Mosimane is expected to announce his preliminary squad today. South Africa are due to face Guinea Conakry and Eritrea in their 2027 AFCON qualifying matches, while an international friendly against Egypt has also been confirmed.

Sono, who owns and coaches Jomo Cosmos, believes Mosimane should largely retain the group assembled by Broos after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The returning coach has already indicated that he expects to replace injured players and make only a small number of alterations to the squad that represented South Africa at the World Cup.

Mosimane’s appointment represents his second spell in charge of Bafana Bafana. Sono has followed his career closely since identifying him as a promising schoolboy in the mid-1980s.

With the assistance of the late Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala, Sono recruited Mosimane to Jomo Cosmos when he was 17. The former South Africa coach is now 62, and his mentor said he was proud to see him given another opportunity to lead the national team.

“It was the right decision to bring Pitso back and I think he learned from the past, and I believe he will do well for the country. He won’t make too many major changes to Hugo Broos’ team because Broos did well. He has left coach Pitso with a good foundation.”

Sono has experience of major international tournaments, having taken South Africa to the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

He also defended Mosimane’s decision to reject an initial salary package of R5 million, which he was allegedly offered by South African Football Association administrators.

The SAFA National Executive Committee later approved Mosimane’s return on an annual salary of R10 million. That figure was still below the reported R16.8 million-per-year deal Broos had received.

Sono said Mosimane was justified in standing firm during the negotiations.

“I knew that Pitso would never take R5 million when he knew what Broos got in return. Even I wouldn’t have taken it, he was right to stand his ground and I also would’ve said no I want the same as the white man.”