Despite the South African national team (Bafana Bafana) qualifying for two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments and appearing in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years, there is a prevailing opinion among fans that the team should aim for victory at AFCON 2027. However, some prominent footballers hold a different view.
Brian Baloyi, one of Mzansi's most respected former players, believes that demanding the new Bafana Bafana coach win the title at AFCON 2027 would be an excessive request. It is expected that Pitso Mosimane's appointment as the new Bafana Bafana coach, replacing Hugo Bruus whose five-year contract ended on July 31st, will be officially announced this week.
In an exclusive interview with IOL Sports, Baloyi stated that winning AFCON 2027 would be too ambitious a goal. He noted that, in his opinion, the new coach would not be able to build upon the legacy left by Hugo Bruus. Baloyi questioned what exactly Bruus left behind and what system he built.
Baloyi emphasized that when building a system, it must be ready for anyone who takes the position. In his view, the new mentor will have to start from scratch.
This happens despite the fact that
Although Bruus secured the team's participation in two AFCONs and qualification for the World Cup playoffs, he left a squad composed of young players who are predicted to play professionally for more than ten years. Nevertheless, Baloyi believes that by demanding the new coach continue Bruus's success, they ignore the lack of any system or playing style upon which further work could be built. They will be forced to create their own philosophy from scratch, which, according to him, is one of South Africa's main problems.
He noted that this problem is visible at the club level as well: there is no unified trusted playing philosophy. Every arriving coach is forced to implement their own. For Baloyi, the key point is that the national coach must leave a legacy, focusing not only on the national team but also on developing coaches from youth academies to form a national playing philosophy.
Discussions about a national playing philosophy are not new. This topic has received sufficient coverage that policies such as Vision 2022 were developed, which aimed to achieve coaching consistency: the Bafana coach was supposed to receive support from the U-23 coach, who in turn would assist the U-20 mentor, and the U-20 coach would assist the U-17 coach.
However, this failed to solve the main problem identified by Baloyi. He described the current situation in South Africa as a 'free-for-all'. According to him, there are many academies, and everyone can start teaching their own style—some prefer English football, others German, leading to chaos.
Baloyi insists on the need for a technical director who will establish unified rules: 'You do not have the right to come and teach your own way. This is how children should be taught to play in this country. This is how children develop,' so that everyone who joins the national team can rely on this foundation.
Financial dispute surrounding Mosimane
Over the weekend, the National Executive Committee of SAFA supported Mosimane. However, a deadlock arose due to disagreements regarding his salary package: he was initially offered 5 million rand per year, which prompted his team to demand an annual package close to the 16.8 million rand that Bruus received.
Mosimane must prepare for the AFCON qualifiers, which begin in September, when Bafana plays Guinea and Eritrea. The extended international break between September and October will also allow the national teams to play at least one or two friendly matches.
