Head of School of Excellence Dan Malesela says new Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane deserves to be given time to do his job because he is capable of taking the team forward.
Mosimane was officially unveiled by SAFA last week making this his second stint with the senior men’s side after his first time 14 years ago.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach replaced Hugo Broos who spent five years with Bafana qualifying for two back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and taking the team to the second round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Malesela spoke to iDiski Times senior journalist Matshelane Mamabolo in edition 272 of the newspaper where he called out sceptics on Mosimane’s return adding that the latter deserves patience like his predecessor.
“When there’s a black coach coming in, there are always sceptics and people already being negative to say, ‘this person will not succeed at this level’, Malesela told iDiski Times.
“There are a lot of coaches I know who would have succeeded at big clubs locally, but the challenge is that they are judged prematurely, with people saying, ‘The job will be bigger than him’ even before he has taken charge.
“But what could be bigger than Pitso? He has coached the national team before, and he understands the international football world. Sometimes a coach is just unfortunate, and the results don’t come your way. But it doesn’t mean you’re a bad coach.
“There may be circumstances around where you are and what is prevailing at that time. So, we need to give Pitso a chance. I mean, we’ve given that man Hugo Broos how many years? Five? And still, he didn’t win anything.
“Sure, we reached the knockout stage of the World Cup, the Last 32, but that is not the ultimate achievement. We must support Pitso and give him time.”
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