Would Pitso Mosimane return to coach in SA? Here’s the answer

Pitso Mosimane last coached in South Africa when he was in charge of Mamelodi Sundowns, having been at the helm of Masandawana during a memorable stint between 2012 and 2020.

This ultimately provided the platform for him to secure a high-profile gig with Egyptian giants Al Ahly, where he was hugely successful.

In subsequent jobs, Mosimane was reported to earn around R3-million per month at Al Wahda and Al Ahli as his profile continued to soar, while he has since signed a contract with another Saudi side, the Abha Club.

Yet it should be noted that this is only a short-term deal, and although there is of course a strong possibility that the veteran coach could stay on, there is no clarity around this just yet.

So would he ever return to South Africa? It’s a particularly pertinent question as Chiefs continue their search for a permanent coach to take over from interim manager Cavin Johnson, having previously parted ways with Molefi Ntseki in October 2023. 

The 59-year-old Mosimane has always said he would be willing to consider any project as long as he was aligned with the vision of the club, and that they were able to agree on the best way forward.

Pitso Mosimane is one of South Africa’s most revered coaches

Mosimane’s agent – and wife – Moira Tlhagale has now provided interesting insight into a possible return to South Africa for the veteran coach.

“I think it’s just agreeing on terms,” she told KickOff. “I believe people think it’s impossible because they assume it is only about (salary) numbers, and there are a lot of numbers that are being thrown out there, but we’ll let them throw numbers.

“If the terms and conditions are acceptable, he will come back… One of the conditions is that the coaches comes with his technical team. You can’t just come along and say ‘No, don’t come with your team’.”

Chiefs would seemingly be aligned with this

A world-class management team with expert insights is seen as a priority, and now it remains to be seen whether Chiefs can find what they’re looking for.

“The wheels have been in motion for quite a while now. We’re also not just looking at it as if it’s a one-man coach; we’re looking at it in terms of what we need and we’ll be making all the changes we need to make that are going to take us in the direction we need to go in,” Kaizer Motaung Jnr commented, as quoted by IOL.

“For us [Kaizer Chiefs] to achieve what we want to achieve is not just going to take one person (a head coach) or technical staff, it is going to take a lot of people, structures and elements that need to work, that haven’t been working for many years.

“We are very much cognisant of what needs to be done and what we have not got right in the past. We are focused on the future and want to make sure we make the right decisions,” he added.