“Nothing Else Matters”: Mosimane Sets Non-Negotiable Bafana Rule Ahead Of AFCON Qualifiers
Pitso Mosimane has made qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Bafana Bafana’s top priority, insisting that winning their home games will be crucial to achieving that objective.
Bafana Bafana will begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign under Mosimane on Saturday, when they host Guinea in their opening Group D fixture at Orlando Amstel Arena. They will then travel to Cairo, Egypt, to face Eritrea four days later, on 30 September.
Bafana are in Group D alongside Guinea, Eritrea and Kenya. Kenya are co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON alongside Uganda and Tanzania and are therefore already guaranteed a place at the tournament.
This means the other teams in the group are competing for the remaining qualification place. Kenya are coached by former Bafana Bafana striker and legend Benni McCarthy.
For Mosimane, however, the equation is simple: Bafana must collect points, particularly on home soil.
“There’s only one important thing, and that is to qualify for the AFCON, right?” he said.
“And how do you qualify? It’s to make sure that you look after your home games and try to win your home games. Because you can’t rely on away games.
“So try and win your home games and qualify for the AFCON. I mean, I don’t think there’s anything more important than qualifying for the AFCON and making sure that you win your home games.
“So, we are a good team that I think we can get something away also. So these two things: qualify, and how do you qualify? You’ve got to win. Nothing else matters; others are secondary.”
While Mosimane has already begun putting his technical team together, Bafana currently do not have a goalkeeper coach following the departure of Grant Johnson, who held the position under Hugo Broos.
The new Bafana coach confirmed that the position will be filled but explained that negotiations with clubs and the availability of potential members of his technical team need to be considered before an announcement is made.
“We will have a goalkeeper coach. We will call them when the time comes,” he added.
“You must also understand, some of these people are not full-time, right? You need to negotiate with the teams, and we need to make sure that they’re available.
“We have sent a few collaborators. When the time is right, we will tell you. Same as with Coach Morena. When the time is right, we will tell you.
“Because we can’t begin early and then, yeah. So we will have a goalkeeper coach, 100%, because I think we can’t have goalkeepers without a coach, right?
“But as you know, all those guys are part-time, right? These are… but stay with me.”
Mosimane has been reshaping the Bafana technical team since replacing Broos, with Morena Ramoreboli joining as an assistant, while Musi Matlaba and Kabelo Rangoaga have also joined his setup.
Helman Mkhalele, who served as Broos’ assistant, is no longer part of the national team setup as Mosimane opts to work with his own technical team.
The goalkeeper coach position is expected to be filled once the necessary discussions with clubs and prospective staff members have been completed.
