‘There is going to be hell’ when Pitso and Komphela meet
JOHANNESBURG: The seeds of the revolution that Pitso Mosimane and Steve Komphela are involved in were first sown at the Frankfurt airport. The two, along with the late John “Shoes” Moshoeu, planned to contribute to local football beyond their playing days when they met in the German city to connect to South Africa to link up with their Bafana Bafana teammates.
Those seeds have since bore fruits, with Mosimane becoming the first South African coach to win all domestic trophies on offer. Now, he is also four games away from guiding Mamelodi Sundowns to a record seventh PSL title.
Komphela has made a name for himself refining rough diamonds across the country, which saw him appointed as the first local coach to lead Kaizer Chiefs in over two decades. But his time at Chiefs hasn’t been rosy, with the club meekly surrendering their league title.
So, the trophy won’t be returning to Naturena, but Amakhosi can have a say in where it ends up when they face Sundowns tomorrow (kickoff 8.15pm) at Loftus Versfeld with the Brazilians just four points ahead of second-placed Wits.
“Pitso is an activist,” Komphela said. “I think I am the same, highly-opinionated and sometimes misunderstood. Some of the conversations that we shared back then, you’ll be shocked that we’re almost close to (achieving) the things we discussed. The discussions we shared were about leadership, taking the responsibility and facing the fire with utmost confidence.
“I remember there was a stage where he would even talk about buying a football club. Pitso thinks big ... sometimes some of his ideas you might think that they’re crazy, but they’re realistic. When he started coaching at SuperSport United with the late Thomas Madigage and Bruce Grobbelaar, he was vigilant and radical. But I think with time he has toned down and matured.
“In any game where there is activism there has to be a lot of sacrifice. There is going to be hell. There will be fire, but you have to stay strong because it’s for a good cause. It makes you endure the pain because you know that you’re fighting for something.”
Chiefs are now fighting for pride and a place in next year’s CAF Confederation Cup, which they’ll achieve by finishing third in the PSL. That would be a welcomed consolation for Komphela who is under pressure after a poor first campaign in charge of Chiefs.
“Steve is a colleague and a friend,” Mosimane said. “We have shared some great memories when we were still playing. I like his mentality and philosophy.
“We always said that we are going to contribute to local football when we were still playing. He is a very good coach, a very smart guy. I wish I could have his intelligence.
“He works hard. We don’t have that many local coaches where he is.
“He is in his first year in a difficult environment where the results haven’t been coming, but he will change things around.”