Benni McCarthy praises Pitso Mosimane’s immediate impact on Bafana Bafana

Benni McCarthy says Pitso Mosimane has brought freedom, excitement and pride back to Bafana Bafana after making an impressive start as head coach.

Mosimane replaced Hugo Broos early last month and has won each of his first three matches, including crucial Afcon qualifying victories against Guinea and Eritrea.

McCarthy, who is preparing to lead Kenya against South Africa, believes Mosimane has quickly changed the mood around the national team while preserving much of the foundation established by Broos.

“He has brought back some familiar faces and given new players an opportunity,” McCarthy said ahead of the first of two Afcon qualifiers between the teams at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday.

“Local is lekker. You can see now that the players are playing with freedom. There’s a lot of excitement and joy within the camp.

“They’ve got a coach now that understands them, the culture, and what it means to bleed South African. It’s amazing to see.”

Mosimane’s team have adopted a more enterprising style since his appointment, although McCarthy acknowledged that there remains room for improvement.

The former South Africa striker also reflected on Bafana Bafana’s historic run at the World Cup finals in North America in winter, when they reached the knockout stage for the first time.

Although he praised the achievement under Broos, McCarthy felt South Africa might have progressed further if Mosimane had been in charge and the players had shown the same freedom.

“If we had only seen that at the World Cup, I think South Africa would have done better than what they did,” McCarthy said.

“I am not criticising or saying anything bad about what the previous coach has done. But when you watch Bafana now, it’s different.

“Before, a lot of players were very tense when they put on that shirt, showing a bit of nervousness, but now they play with so much freedom.”

McCarthy has warned that Kenya will make South Africa work hard for every point across the two matches, despite his clear admiration for the progress made under Mosimane.

He also offered his best wishes to Bafana Bafana and their new coach as they continue their Afcon qualifying campaign.

“It’s great. When you are a South African and see what your country is doing, and what the players are doing, it is fantastic,” he said.

“I wish them endless success under the leadership of coach Pitso.”