Al-Ahly Head Coach Pitso Mosimane says he is proud to be a South African representing the country outside of its borders.
Mosimane was speaking in an exclusive press conference with the members of the South African Football Journalists Association (Safja) on Wednesday.
After leading Al-Ahly to CAF Champions League glory, Mosimane and his team will shortly be heading to the FIFA Club World Cup, where they will be representing the African continent.
Mosimane said that he is inspired to see South Africans flying the flag the country around the world, and hopes the trend continues.
“Nelson Mandela said it is always look impossible, until someone does it,” Mosimane told the Safja journalists.
“From being a prisoner, to the president of a country, anything is possible. Amazing things happen, there are a lot of good stories, there’s Trevor Noah, there’s Black Coffee, there’s Percy Tau, as long as we are carrying our flag – we must never forget our flag – we must make sure we are ambassadors of the country.”
Mosimane hopes other South African coaches will follow in his footsteps, and look for opportunities outside of the country too.
Mosimane however reminded Safja that there are no shortcuts, and while he is mostly known for his successful eight years at Mamelodi Sundowns, he worked his way up the coaching ladder.
“I worked myself up from a scout at SuperSport United, I didn’t walk in like any other coaches because I played for Bafana. I was a scout, I was an assistant coach, I was an interim coach for two years, and then I became the Head Coach of SuperSport United. It took me four years to be the Head Coach of SuperSport United. The same way as Kaitano has went, the route, I paid my dues.”
“I went to Bafana to be an assistant coach, to sit down and listen, don’t say a word for five years, until I became coach of Bafana. I’ve earned my stripes, I’ve worked very hard.”
