Pitso Mosimane, the 62-year-old coach of Bafana Bafana, has expressed enthusiasm for the rising generation of new stars in his squad as he begins his second stint with the national team. Mosimane, with his wealth of experience gained as a pathfinder for South African coaches internationally, took charge of his first training session at UJ Stadium on Monday. He faces two crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea. Mosimane's squad retains the core of predecessor Hugo Broos's combination that made history by becoming the first Bafana to progress past a World Cup group stage.
Mosimane has called up an exciting squad with some interesting additions, including Luther Singh, who has found scoring form for AEL Limassol in Cyprus after a five-year hiatus. Shandre Campbell, the 21-year-old forward prodigy, brings another dimension to the team, having shown promise scoring a goal in six games at new club KV Kortrijk. The form of five overseas players has buoyed the depth and confidence of Mosimane's squad, including Kaizer Chiefs youth product Puso Dithejane, who has been scoring for Chicago Fire, and Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who had a stellar World Cup.
Relebohile Mofokeng, who terrorized South Korea in Bafana's one victory at the World Cup, has scored four goals in nine starts at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. Thapelo Maseko, who scored against South Korea, has landed at FC Copenhagen and has had a successful start, including a brace in the Danish Superliga. Olwethu Makhanya, the 22-year-old centreback, has been earning rave reviews since his £3m move from Philadelphia Union to Rangers, particularly for his performances in successive Old Firm derbies against Celtic.
Mosimane was asked about his trio of players hitting the ground running at new European clubs this season, specifically whether Makhanya's form would make it hard to leave him out in the coming two games. Mosimane strongly hinted that Makhanya's form would make it difficult to exclude him from the squad. He emphasized the importance of players being under pressure and performing well, citing the example of Luther Singh, who has been pushing for a spot in the team.
Mosimane's squad for the Afcon qualifiers includes a mix of experienced and young players, with five players aged 22 or under, including Makhanya, Dithejane, and Maseko. The coach believes that this youthful talent emerging would have made him salivate in his first stint in 2010 to 2012. Mosimane's task is to build on Bafana's better competitiveness in the Afcon and return to the World Cup by competing at the 2027 Nations Cup in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The coach's second national stint begins without the luxury of any warm-up matches to experiment and implement his philosophy. Mosimane's experience and expertise will be crucial in guiding the team through the challenging Afcon qualifying campaign. The team's performance will be closely watched, as South Africa looks to continue its emergence from years in the doldrums.
As Mosimane prepares his team for the Afcon qualifiers, he will need to make tough decisions about which players to include in his squad. With a talented pool of young players emerging, Mosimane will have to balance the team's experience and youth to achieve success in the qualifiers and beyond.
Key points
- Mosimane hints at promoting young players like Olwethu Makhanya, Puso Dithejane, and Thapelo Maseko.
- Bafana Bafana faces crucial Afcon qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea.
- Mosimane's squad includes a mix of experienced and young players, with a focus on building depth and competitiveness.
