Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has made his ambitions clear, and that is to deliver the elusive trophy and ultimately improve on what his predecessor, Hugo Broos achieved.
The first and last time Bafana won a competitive trophy was in 1996, when they were crowned the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) champions.
Since then, the closest they got to challenging for a major title was at the 2023 Afcon in Ivory Coast, where they reached the semi-finals of the competition but lost to Nigeria and settled for a bronze medal under the tutelage of Broos.
With Broos’ reign now over and Mosimane at the helm, the current Bafana coach says his target is to try and deliver that elusive trophy, with the 2027 Afcon set to be his first test.
READ: Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane not fazed by Guineas big-name players
Afcon qualification comes first
But first, he will have to ensure that the team qualifies, as their Afcon qualifiers get underway against Guinea at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“We need a cup. We haven’t won it for how long? It’s too long, right? So, we need a cup. I want to win a cup,” Mosimane said during a press conference at the Orlando Stadium on Friday.
“I’m not saying I’m going to win it, but I want to win it, and that’s why I’m here. And I think the players want to win the cup, right? So, if we don’t try to win a cup, what are we trying to do? To qualify again?
“And of course you can’t win the cup when you don’t qualify. I mean, you know the levels and the steps that you need to do to get to win the cup. But yeah, the objective is to try and win a cup, maybe in five years, right? Win one cup,” he added.
Injury concerns in camp
Mosimane also provided a squad update, with experienced defender Nkosinathi Sibisi confirmed to have picked up a niggle in training. This is days after Lebohang Maboe was withdrawn from the squad due to an injury while on club duty with Kaizer Chiefs.
READ: Bumper sporting weekend as Bafana, Boks and Proteas get down to action
“Setback on Sibisi, he got an injury and has not been training for the last two days. He got a knock in training; we are monitoring it,” Mosimane said.
“The doctor says he will miss this one, but injuries are part of professional sport; hence, we selected enough numbers. We don’t know what will happen or what we will face.
“We all know Lebo also pulled out, that’s why we selected as much as we could, so we can absorb and overcome these hurdles. That’s what we have, so far so good, the camp is good.”
The game between Bafana and Guinea will get underway at 3pm.
- Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane aims to win a major trophy, targeting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) as his first major test.
- South Africa's last major trophy was the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, with their closest recent achievement being a bronze medal in the 2023 Afcon under Hugo Broos.
- Before aiming for the trophy, Mosimane emphasizes the importance of qualifying for Afcon, with the qualifiers starting against Guinea at Orlando Stadium.
- Defender Nkosinathi Sibisi has suffered an injury during training and is expected to miss the upcoming qualifier, while Lebohang Maboe was also withdrawn from the squad due to injury.
- Despite injuries, Mosimane is confident in the squad depth, stating the team is prepared to overcome setbacks for the upcoming match against Guinea at 3pm.
Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has made his ambitions clear, and that is to deliver the elusive trophy and ultimately improve on what his predecessor, Hugo Broos achieved.
The first and last time Bafana won a competitive trophy was in 1996, when they were crowned the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) champions.
Since then, the closest they got to challenging for a major title was at the 2023 Afcon in Ivory Coast, where they reached the semi-finals of the competition but lost to Nigeria and settled for a bronze medal under the tutelage of Broos.
With Broos’ reign now over and Mosimane at the helm, the current Bafana coach says his target is to try and deliver that elusive trophy, with the 2027 Afcon set to be his first test.
READ: Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane not fazed by Guineas big-name players
But first, he will have to ensure that the team qualifies, as their Afcon qualifiers get underway against Guinea at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“We need a cup. We haven't won it for how long? It's too long, right? So, we need a cup. I want to win a cup,” Mosimane said during a press conference at the Orlando Stadium on Friday.
“I'm not saying I'm going to win it, but I want to win it, and that's why I'm here. And I think the players want to win the cup, right? So, if we don't try to win a cup, what are we trying to do? To qualify again?
“And of course you can't win the cup when you don't qualify. I mean, you know the levels and the steps that you need to do to get to win the cup. But yeah, the objective is to try and win a cup, maybe in five years, right? Win one cup,” he added.
Mosimane also provided a squad update, with experienced defender Nkosinathi Sibisi confirmed to have picked up a niggle in training. This is days after Lebohang Maboe was withdrawn from the squad due to an injury while on club duty with Kaizer Chiefs.
READ: Bumper sporting weekend as Bafana, Boks and Proteas get down to action
“Setback on Sibisi, he got an injury and has not been training for the last two days. He got a knock in training; we are monitoring it,” Mosimane said.
“The doctor says he will miss this one, but injuries are part of professional sport; hence, we selected enough numbers. We don’t know what will happen or what we will face.
“We all know Lebo also pulled out, that’s why we selected as much as we could, so we can absorb and overcome these hurdles. That’s what we have, so far so good, the camp is good.”
The game between Bafana and Guinea will get underway at 3pm.
