The curious
case of Pitso Mosimane in the Bafana Bafana area
● Did you see it? You blinked and missed it. It played out in Durban on Tuesday night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
It started in the privacy of the dressing room and progressed to the public glare during the pre-match pleasantries.
It moved up to the stands when the match kicked off and on the podium during the medals and trophy presentation.
What is it, you wonder?
It was the sight of Pitso Mosimane, the Mamelodi Sundowns coach, being joined at the hip with Bafana Bafana as they prepared to exchange friendly fire with Paraguay. Before you put me in the dock for putting Mosimane’s probity into question, please allow me to present my case. It is one thing for Mosimane — the three-time Absa Premiership conqueror — to be the flag-bearer for the Springboks-All Blacks clash.
It is a completely different case when the 2016 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League crownee gives a pep talk to Bafana.
What is wrong with the latter, you could ask? After all, the man is a former Bafana coach. In that case, if the consideration was to extend an invitation for any of Stuart Baxter’s predecessors, it could have been any of Gordon Igesund, Shakes Mashaba, Steve Komphela, Conti Kubheka and, and, and ...
But the curious case of Mosimane in the Bafana area as a special guest of the South African Football Association (Safa) pricked the Pravin in me and prompted a connecting of the dots.
Soon after sealing an eighth domestic championship for Sundowns in April, Mosimane started speaking in tongues.
“Kibara shololo didibala I need a sabbatical. Rikabarara riba riba sabbatical.”
He didn’t quite say it like that but his words were: “I am a bit tired, it’s been
Factor in the fact that he has unfinished business with Bafana after the Dance of Shame
four years with no off-season and to be honest I am speaking to my family about taking a sabbatical for maybe one year.
“It’s been too much. We have been through a lot with my family. We have been through difficult times, expected to win and travel, travelling and making sure the team qualifies for the
Champions League.”
Consider the fact that since stepping into the coaching zone at Chloorkop in 2012, his trophy cup has runneth over.
On top of the Champions League and three PSL titles, Mosimane’s cup collection includes the Caf Super Cup as well as the Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup gongs.
Factor in the fact that he has unfinished business with Bafana from his departure in June 2012. The Mbombela Dance of Shame, when the team mistakenly and embarrassingly danced in joy in the false belief that they had qualified for Afcon 2013, remains a sore point in his life. It is something he would like to correct.
Some of the Safa Council members have been asking the question of late, whether the moment is not opportune for Mosimane to return to the seat from which he was ejected while in camp in Rustenburg?
Given the tongue-and-saliva tight relationship between Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe and his Safa counterpart Danny Jordaan, releasing Mosimane from Chloorkop to Nasrec would not be too tricky a task.
Baxter’s time with Bafana has been hohum. Safa won’t fire him. They may shift him to the technical director position.
There is unhappiness with the input — or lack thereof — of incumbent TD, Neil Tovey. He was a great captain for our country, the only one to lift the Africa
Cup of Nations trophy. But frankly speaking, he is not cutting it. That’s why Safa is creating a technical authority body in conjunction with the South African Football Coaches Association (Safca), an associate member of Safa. A joint task team between Safa and Safca has been endorsed by the Safa council. It will comprise technical experts from grassroots up to the national professional level. Is a reshuffle on the cards?
Twitter: @bbkunplugged99