South African football legend Jomo Sono shared advice with new coach Pitsos Mosimane ahead of the Bafana Bafana national team's return. Sono, who previously served as an interim coach for Bafana Bafana at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, offered his recommendations.
Former Bafana Bafana coach Jomo Sono strongly urged Pitsos Mosimane to refrain from making large-scale changes as he begins his second tenure leading the national team. Sono believes that Mosimane inherited a strong foundation from Hugo Bruus and should develop it rather than starting everything from scratch.
Bafana is scheduled to play Guinea on September 26th, followed by Eritrea in four days as part of the 2027 AFC qualifiers. Additionally, a friendly match is planned for October 4th in Egypt, leaving Mosimane with limited time to prepare the squad.
Sono stated on Radio 2000: 'There is a foundation. This guy (Bruus) built the foundation for Pitsos.' He added that despite the tight schedule, Mosimane should prepare the team that participated in the World Cup, as he already has players.
'He shouldn't bring in new players and say, 'We are building a new Bafana Bafana.' He has a game in three weeks. The players who went to the World Cup, he can add one or two. They know each other, they know the playing style. Because being a coach is about ensuring that players know each other, that players understand each other on the field. That is what you build as a coach, understanding between players.'
Mosimane announced a preliminary squad for the international break on Friday, including ten new faces in his first selection. Among them are Yanela Mbutuma, Cemran Dansin, Tshepo Mashilwane, Puso Dithejane, Shandri Campbell, Lebone Siema, Tashrik Matthews, Ronaldo Van Neel, Lebohang Maboe, and Luther Singh.
Sono's advice comes at a time when Mosimane is preparing to leave his mark on the Bafana squad, which reached the 2026 World Cup playoffs under Bruus' leadership. Although the new coach has already shown a willingness to introduce fresh faces, Sono believes that continuity will be crucial given the short timeframe before the AFC qualifying matches.