Pitso Mosimane says Oswin Appollis’ limited Orlando Pirates role will not affect Bafana Bafana selection

Pitso Mosimane says managing Oswin Appollis’ workload at Orlando Pirates is not his responsibility when selecting the Bafana Bafana squad.

The right-footed winger has not been named in several recent Pirates starting line-ups. Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has said the club is carefully managing Appollis’ workload before a series of important upcoming fixtures.

Mosimane, however, said the national team plays too infrequently for fatigue to influence his decisions. He added that Appollis remains a player he feels obliged to consider when available.

“We play once, right? So fatigue is not for me to manage it. Right? For me it’s to choose the best player who’s around and who’s available, okay?,” said Mosimane.

He said Bafana Bafana’s limited schedule meant he would select the best available players rather than attempt to regulate their workload.

“So I don’t over-train my team. I just say who’s available and is good for the country, I use that player. So, I hear that you are a lot in press conferences, but to be honest, I don’t listen.

“I have to look at what I have because now if I start listening to anybody and everybody, my decisions and my way of thinking will be swayed.

“If I read what you write, I’ll be in trouble, right? Because you can write what you want to write. I must respect your opinion.

“But if that opinion starts to go into my mind and it affects the choice of players I must make, I might not as well be here because you write your opinion. Right?”

Mosimane also addressed the difficulty of making selection decisions while facing competing views from journalists and others about which players should be included.

“So who do I listen to? Because another person has got his own [opinion about] other people that he thinks should be there. So who should I listen to? So then I’m the coach, right? And you [journalists] do the writing. And you must have the followers in your team.

“It’s a good question, there’s nothing wrong with it. You make your business, you make your money. My business is to win here. [But for you] is to increase numbers, then those are right questions. And if you don’t ask that, I’m surprised. Then you’re not a journalist.”

Mosimane’s comments came after being asked about Appollis’ reduced game-time for Orlando Pirates and Ouaddou’s explanation that the player was being protected ahead of crucial matches.