Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane and captain Ronwen Williams recently spoke to the media before their upcoming match against Guinea. Mosimane provided clarification regarding the recent changes within the team's technical staff.
The coach stated that he did not terminate the employment of any previous backroom personnel. Instead, he formed an entirely new technical team following the departure of Hugo Broos and his entire staff. Mosimane, known for his reputation in building teams focused on attacking football, is keen to achieve success, including trophies, while simultaneously improving the performance level of the current generation of players.
Prior to the first match against Guinea in the 2027 AFCON qualifier held at Orlando Amstel Arena, Mosimane confirmed that the majority of the squad that participated in the World Cup under Broos would likely feature in Soweto on Saturday afternoon. However, he indicated that this situation might not persist for long, as he intends to implement his own playing philosophy without retaining any members from the prior technical team for continuity.
Mosimane detailed the necessity of rapidly establishing a robust technical setup, which included bringing in assistant Morena Ramoreboli, performance head Musi Matlaba, strength and fitness coach Kabelo Rangoaga, and goalkeeper coach Marcus Mashilo. He also responded to suggestions that he declined to collaborate with individuals from the Broos era, such as former assistant Helman Mkhalele, whom Broos had supported as his successor.
Addressing the speculation, Mosimane asserted, “I am expected not to come with excuses here. But you’ve got to understand that I didn’t take anybody out. No one was left when I arrived. Everybody left — from the trainer to an analyst, who was from Sundowns. They left and I had no one. I had to put this thing together, and bring Kabelo and Musi, and say: ‘We have been on this journey for a long time. Let’s see what we can do.’ We then brought in Marcus, and whoever. We didn’t sack anybody. We found no one.”
Given that three points are at stake in the initial group fixture against Guinea, Mosimane emphasized that Bafana Bafana must avoid any slip-ups, particularly when playing at home. He concluded by stating, “We are trying our best to do what we can do. As you are telling me about the philosophy, which one out of the last four games? Maybe adopt the last one. It's life. All these things don’t work, but trying to get the three points and win.”