Pitso, you got it wrong

Pitso Mosimane has accused the South African media of writing his obituary. For a dead man he’s doing plenty of talking, it’s just a shame that most of what is coming out of his mouth is such ill-considered nonsense.

The Bafana coach went on an emotional rant on Sunday evening after his patched up Bafana had held Ghana to a 1-1 draw in Rustenburg.

“How many times have you guys written an obituary for me?” he blasted at reporters gathered at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace. “Everybody wrote an obituary for us before we started (the “practice-training” matches against Zambia and Ghana). Everybody saw us being slaughtered.”

Mosimane also told whoever was listening that he would still be around in the Bafana job for as long as Safa wanted him. So there.

Oh dear me. Pitso, to borrow from the Old Bard, methinks you doth protest too much.

This kind of rant, would be far better served, kind sir, for when you actually qualify for some competitive football that carries real weight and meaning.

A Bafana third-string side did well to hold Zamiba and Ghana to draws last week.

In fact, so well did they do, that the decision to reduce the status of these games from full internationals has been shown up as rather silly. And yet … Ghana and Zambia have far more important matters on their minds – namely the African Nations Cup finals that starts on Saturday. Mosimane was only too keen to point out the strength of the Chipolopolo and Black Stars – against his own side’s well-documented problems – and less keen to acknowledge his opponents obvious distractions.

I sympathise with the Bafana coach over his inability to get his best players for these games, and think that the Premiership clubs who refused to release their players have behaved disgracefully. I also have no desire to see the Bafana coach fired. He should be given a chance – pending a disastrous start to the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign – to lead the side at the 2013 Nations Cup finals on these shores.

But he certain needs a hefty lesson in how to deal with criticism. Bafana have failed dismally to qualify for a second successive Nations Cup. However, as much as they don’t have the players to compete with some of the African superpowers, I think South Africa has every right to expect them to be able to score a goal against Sierra Leone. The country also has every right to expect the national team coach and football association to know the rules of qualifying.

The results haven’t been good enough. The coach should accept this and keep his head down. Bleating at the media is doing him no favours at all. – The Star