TOUCHING THE SKY
Mosimane on capturing PSL crown
BIDVEST Wits coach Gavin Hunt has enormous respect for Pitso Mosimane and believes the over-emphasis on his Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart’s skin pigmentation only serves to diminish the heights he scaled this week.
Mosimane, nicknamed Jingles, led Sundowns to a first Absa Premiership title in seven years on Tuesday night.
‘‘I mean he is a qualified coach, he is highly respected, he has had good jobs and he has done a good job wherever he has been,” Hunt said.
“So why do we need to bring up the colour thing? It upsets me a little bit and I get a little bit of a bad taste because he is a highly reputable and respected coach.
‘‘I know the media have to do that because it is the first time and everything, but in saying that we should be looking past that because we are all South Africans.”
Wits finished third on the final day of the premiership campaign yesterday and Mosimane — who has also coached Bafana Bafana and SuperSport United — said he was honoured and humbled by the endorsement from Hunt.
‘‘Gavin has won the league title three times [between 2008 and 2010 while he was still with SuperSport United] and I admire him,” Mosimane said.
‘‘It takes a great leader to say something like that about a colleague who has just won the league.
“It shows that it is never personal. I have also said in an interview I think he deserved to win one of the PSL Q-Innovation awards this season because he did exceptionally well at Wits.
‘‘But be that as it may, to me this thing is a double-edged sword because it is the truth. It is a fact that black coaches have not had the same privileges as other coaches.
“It is a fact and we are not trying to throw a political spin
It is a fact that most black coaches in the Premier League have not had the same privileges as other coaches
on things.”
Mosimane said the difference is he took the opportunity he was given by Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe and did not dwell on the colour of his skin.
Downs fans cannot thank Motsepe enough for going against the norm and entrusting the responsibility of coaching the star-studded Brazilians to Mosimane.
And they have kept their party hats on since Downs clinched the league title with a game to spare after a 3-0 win over neighbours SuperSport United at Loftus Stadium.
Gordon Igesund had been the last coach to bring the league title to Chloorkop seven years ago and there were times in the intervening years when the Brazilians did not resemble anything close to the swashbuckling South American aristocrats they are nicknamed after.
Trott Moloto, Frenchman Henri Michel, Ted Dumitru, combustible Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov, Spaniard Antonio López Habas, Zimbabwean Ian Gorowa and testy Dutchman Johan Neeskens all failed to
I am very, very happy for his success. He had a tough ride during his time with the national team
find the elusive oasis in the desert until Mosimane’s arrival in December 2012.
Sundowns were second from the bottom when Mosimane took over and they had won just two games in four months under Neeskens.
After moving the Brazilians away from the relegation zone and finishing 10th at the end of the season, Mosimane then set his sights on reawakening the sleeping giant.
And he did it in such fine style in his first full season at Sundowns that veteran Mpumalanga Black Aces coach Clive Barker said yesterday Mosimane had his vote as PSL coach of the season.
Besides amassing a record points haul in a 30-game PSL season — Sundowns had 64 points before yesterday’s final round of fixtures — the Brazilians also finished with the most goals.
Barker’s endorsement is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he himself is one of the nominees for the award along with Kaizer Chiefs’ Stuart Baxter.
‘‘It is wonderful and we are very happy to be nominated, but the truth of the matter is there can only be one winner and it has to be Pitso,” Barker said.
‘‘You cannot win the league and not be the best coach in the country. So my vote is right behind Pitso and I am delighted for his success. He must be the champion.”
Barker said he was particularly impressed by Mosimane’s ability to bounce back from his tumultuous spell as Bafana coach and even win a league title 23 months after parting ways with the South African Football Association.
‘‘I am very, very happy for his success. He had a tough ride during his time with the national team.”
While his Bafana days must seem like a lifetime away in the midst of the celebrations this week, Mosimane said they serve as a constant reminder of just how swiftly things can change in the unpredictable world of football.
Hunt said he has always been impressed by Mosimane’s work ethic and he has always known that his rival planned meticulously whenever they meet on the pitch.
‘‘He is a good coach and he is highly respected. I have got a lot of time for him. He knows the game, he is a hard worker, he studies and he does his work.”
While his profession occupies a lot of his time, Mosimane said he has the ability to turn off the football switch as soon as he walks through his front door at home.
Reality game shows Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother are his firm television favourites and they help take his mind off the pressure of the next game.
These shows have come in handy over the past few months and he is well aware that he will need large doses of his favourite reality programming when Sundowns begin the defence of their league title in a few months’ time.