Kenya coach says Pitso brings back joy and freedom to Bafana

Kenya coach and Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy is of the strong view that SA would have gone even further at the last World Cup under incumbent mentor Pitso Mosimane.

Local is lekker, you can see the players play with freedom.

—  Benni McCarthy, Kenya head coach

McCarthy, whose Kenya face Bafana in Group D of the qualifiers for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday at 6pm, feels players are playing with freedom under Mosimane, compared to his predecessor Hugo Broos, who guided SA to the last 32 of the recent global spectacle co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada a few months ago.

“Local is lekker, you can see the players play with freedom. There is a lot of excitement and joy in the camp, and they have a coach who understands them now,” McCarthy said of Mosimane’s tenure at Bafana.

“A coach that understands the culture and what it means to bleed South African. And it’s amazing to see, and if only we had this at the World Cup, I think South Africa would have done a little better than they did.

“I am not criticising or saying anything bad about what the previous coach has done, but I just feel that when you watch Bafana now compared to then, there are so many players who were tense when they put on that Bafana jersey, with a bit of nervousness.

“But now, they play with so much freedom, and it’s great. As a South African, it’s fantastic to see what the players and your country are doing, and I really wish they have endless success under the leadership of coach Pitso.”

At the World Cup Bafana were eliminated by one of the hosts, Canada, in the last 32, beating them 1-0 in Los Angeles in June. Broos retired after the global spectacle, opening a door for Mosimane’s second stint at Safa House.