Pitso Mosimane Ready to Risk Reputation With Tough Bafana Bafana Friendly Plans
- Pitso Mosimane returned to the Bafana Bafana head coach role 14 years after his first stint, which ended without AFCON qualification
- Mosimane is considering scheduling friendlies against Africa's top nations rather than weaker sides to prepare Bafana for 2027 AFCON
- The coach admitted he is aware of the scrutiny such an approach could attract, having faced similar criticism during his first tenure
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Pitso Mosimane is willing to put his reputation on the line by scheduling Bafana Bafana friendlies against some of Africa's most formidable sides as he maps out preparation for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mosimane has returned to the South Africa head coaching role for a second time, 14 years after his first stint concluded with the nation failing to qualify for the 2012 AFCON. His initial tenure yielded six wins, eight draws and three losses, but the absence from the continental tournament overshadowed those results.
In the years since, the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach has cemented his standing as one of Africa's most decorated football managers, having claimed the CAF Champions League on three occasions.
Mosimane eyes Africa's strongest sides in friendlies
Rather than padding the schedule with winnable matches to boost confidence, Mosimane intends to challenge his squad against leading African opposition. He drew a direct comparison to his first stint in charge, where he arranged fixtures against several of the continent's top-ranked teams.
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"It's easy to play a friendly you can always win; let's play Egypt, come on, let's do it right, and I also know my fate 14 years ago, because my challenge, I stacked Ivory Coast, Zambia, Ghana, the top six in the continent; I put them in my friendlies to prepare," Mosimane said.
"And I got all the draws, and you know my fate [in my previous stint]."
The scrutiny those results attracted during his first tenure has not gone unnoticed. Mosimane is fully conscious that repeating the same approach could once again invite criticism if Bafana fail to win against high-calibre opponents.
Mosimane: 'When it's easy, I get bored'
The coach openly questioned whether he was setting himself up for a similar situation, asking:
"Am I doing the same thing again with these friendly games? We can get someone where we can score five goals, and then we can always say we turned the corner, right?"
Despite acknowledging the risk, Mosimane showed no intention of taking the easier path. He argued that comfortable victories against weaker opposition conceal weaknesses that will surface when competitive football resumes.
"But I'm that guy who falls on his sword," he said. "I believe you need to do it right and it might not go well but it's part of life, that's me in football, when it's easy and comfortable, I get bored, I need the rush, I need to be on the edge a little bit – that's who I am."
For Mosimane, the priority is exposing Bafana Bafana to the quality of opposition they will face in competitive action, even if that means accepting difficult results in the short term as the team builds towards the 2027 AFCON campaign.
Orlando Stadium confirmed for Mosimane’s Bafana return
Briefly News previously reported that SAFA had confirmed Orlando Stadium as the venue for Pitso Mosimane’s first competitive match back in charge of Bafana Bafana.
South Africa will host Guinea in their opening AFCON 2027 qualifier on 26 September 2026, with tickets already on sale ahead of the fixture. SAFA president Danny Jordaan encouraged supporters to attend.
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Source: Briefly News
