Pitso Mosimane has revealed a conversation he had with Herve Renard, and why the Frenchman, once linked with Bafana Bafana, never considered joining the South African camp.
Renard, the former Africa Cup of Nations winning coach with Zambia and Ivory Coast, has been considered a strong candidate for the Bafana job many times over the last decade.
But in an interview with the South African Football Journalists Association, Mosimane revealed that he and Renard had discussed the Bafana job, and French coach had revealed that a low salary offer was the biggest obstacle.
“Well that’s a serious case about our federations where a coach is employed by the ministry of sport and they are the ones who pay for the coach, so they can employ and then the federation doesn’t have money to pay,” Mosimane said about links to the NFF.
“The Nigerian Federation doesn’t have money to pay those people, those coaches, I think maybe 99% of countries in Africa, and maybe SAFA must change their model maybe because 99% of the countries coaches are paid by the government. So it’s not a problem.
“I remember speaking to the coach of Saudi Arabia [at the time], Herve Renard, good guy, top guy, we text and talk; he said coach why don’t you coach South Africa? I mean the country has got mines, diamonds and everything, so the sports budget should be able to pay you to coach the team.
“So I’m talking about the situation between federation and government, and the guy said but no you must coach Bafana, I think you will do well for our country – he said coach, I don’t think they’re serious, my agent told me the money they want to pay is like club football in division two in France.
“But your country is successful look at it, when you land at the airport, you have everything but you don’t have [budget for top coaches], they won’t pay me to coach South Africa.”