Pitso Mosimane criticism unfair, says former Bafana Bafana coach Augusto Palacios

Former Bafana Bafana coach Augusto Palacios says criticism of newly appointed South Africa manager Pitso Mosimane is unjust and urged supporters to back his squad selections.

Mosimane came under pressure from some fans before Saturday’s match against Guinea, with questions raised about the number of Mamelodi Sundowns players included in the team.

Although South Africa secured a 2-1 victory, further criticism followed, with some supporters unhappy that the side had not been more clinical in front of goal.

“How Pitso puts out in the line-up is decided by Pitso, he is the coach, and it has nothing to do with me as a spectator,” Palacios told KICK OFF.

“We need to support whichever player our coach picks to represent Bafana Bafana. If he makes mistakes, he will correct them. The man in charge is Pitso Mosimane.”

Palacios said Mosimane’s priority in qualifying matches had to be collecting points rather than producing attractive football.

“Bafana Bafana is his responsibility. What you need in qualifiers is three points, and he did what was necessary by collecting the three points,” he said.

“You can play beautiful football and still lose points. So, what is important here is the result.”

The former coach also called for patience while Mosimane works with the team, pointing to his experience and the way South Africa responded after Guinea equalised.

“The guy is experienced; they must just allow him to do his job. It’s normal for people to criticise,” Palacios said.

“What was important is that he got all three points in our first match. The quick reaction from Pitso’s team after Guinea equalised was very impressive for me.”

Palacios added that South Africa’s ultimate success should be judged by whether it qualified, rather than by the style of football played during the campaign.

“After all the qualifiers are played, the first thing we will be looking for is to see if we qualified, not how we played,” he said.