Pitso Mosimane fully backs Molefi Ntseki as Bafana coach
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has pledged his full backing to recently appointed Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki.
Ntseki was confirmed as full-time national team coach at the weekend to replace Stuart Baxter and Mosimane said the move by Safa to appoint a coach as soon as possible is good because Afcon qualifiers are starting soon.
“Somebody had to be appointed‚ we can’t dilly-dally‚” he said.
“We have to appoint the coach because we have important games coming like the Afcon qualifiers. The guy has been there at Safa for a long time‚ he knows the youth structures very well and he coached some of the players in the senior team at junior level.
“He hasn’t done bad‚ he took us to the World Cup with one of the junior national teams and all that. Why don’t we give him a chance‚ I am happy it’s a local coach‚ he is a good guy and I know him well.”
Mosimane said Ntseki has already spoken to him and he is available to support him. “He has already spoken to me and I am there to support and help him. I am not unhappy with his appointment‚ for me it is okay even though it was a little bit unexpected but why not. We have to have a coach and somebody has to coach the team. For it it’s good.”
Mosimane said Ntseki must be his own man and be able to manage the big egos‚ be able to handle pressure from the public and media and pick the right team.
“All he has to do is just to manage the egos‚ the pressure from the media and he must select the right team. He has to make a decision on which players he picks and who he plays and let’s give him a chance because anything is possible. The national team is a different set-up‚ it is not like here at club level. Here is every week and the media put the microscopic eye and criticise which is right. At‚ Bafana we sometimes forget about it until the next match comes. What is important is that SA has a coach‚ I don’t like this interim thing.
“He is a good guy‚ he makes sure that he speaks to the coaches. He spoke to Gavin Hunt‚ Benni McCarthy and me. He is going the right way and there is nothing wrong with that. He has the best players‚ he will be choosing from the cream de la crème of the country and how bad can it be. He has Percy Tau‚ Bongani Zungu‚ Thembinkosi Lorch‚ Kermit Erasmus and the rest. If I ask now who is coaching Spain‚ you might not know the name and who cares‚ they are winning matches with players from Real Madrid and Barcelona.”