Many fans view Mosimane's responses as dismissive rather than a clear tactical justification.
Pitso Mosimane, coach during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers South Africa Training Session at Milpark Stadium in Johannesburg on Monday. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
It seems Pitso Mosimane didn’t learn much from his previous stint as Bafana Bafana coach, or from his predecessor, Hugo Broos, that it’s not always wise to explain every team selection decision.
Sometimes, doing that could make you the ‘enemy of the people’, so to speak, because South African football fans are more club fans than Bafana fans. So, if an Orlando Pirates player, for instance, is omitted from the squad and the coach offers a not-so-inspiring answer, he is accused of bias.
After omitting Aden McCarthy, who has been in top form for Sabah FK and scoring in the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, from his squad to face Kenya in back-to-back AFCON qualifiers this month, Mosimane chose a diplomatic answer, saying the defender’s omission from the squad is purely down to tight competition for places.
“We saw Aden McCarthy. He scored too, right? He scored in the Champions League. But we need to allow Mbokazi to be back with the national team because he has done exceptionally well for the national team.
“He played in the World Cup, right? And then Olwethu Makhanya has been playing, right? So, you see now where we fall with McCarthy; he’s doing well, we all know that,” said Mosimane.
A simpler answer could have been that he had to make a decision between McCarthy and Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and he went for Mbokazi because of what he had done for Bafana before and because of his experience at this level.
When asked about Themba Zwane’s omission, the same Mosimane said leaving the veteran midfielder was one of the most emotional decisions he had made since taking charge of Bafana.
“It was emotional for me to drop Themba Zwane; it was so difficult. But this is the national team, and it is not about emotions. It is about doing what is right and being honest,” Mosimane explained.
Mosimane further revealed that he personally contacted Zwane to explain the decision, rather than allowing him to discover his omission through the media.
So, does this mean that Zwane is more important than McCarthy, who has worked his socks off to be on top of his game at the biggest stage of club football, the UEFA Champions League?
