Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere
FORMER Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has explained why South African players are failing to break into Europe’s top leagues like their Zimbabwean counterparts.
Mosimane’s explanation comes after Warriors international Marshall Munetsi moved to Wolves a few weeks ago.
Munetsi had spent six years at Stade de Reims and played along with fellow countryman Tinotenda Kadewere in the French Ligue 1.
Zimbabwe also had Marvelous Nakamba at Luton Town in the English Premier Soccer League (EPL) last season.
As for South Africa, unlike in the 90s and early 2000s, they no longer have many players in most of Europe’s top-flight leagues and their current national team is dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns players.
Lyle Foster’s Burnley was relegated from the EPL in the previous campaign.
Mosimane suggested South African players usually master one position while playing in the PSL and this could be a limiting factor affecting their growth and adaptability.
The gaffer cited Munetsi in his explanation on The Dan Corder Show on eNCA, saying: “I was watching Wolves playing Man United, I saw Munetsi, the boy who was playing for Orlando Pirates and they (Pirates) used him as a midfielder but he was playing as a nine (for Wolves), as a striker.
“It just shows that international football and local football are totally different. I was playing as a striker at Cosmos, Sundowns, suddenly when I went to Europe they put me as a winger. Probably I didn’t score enough or was not strong enough to be a nine.
“It’s positioning, where the coach feels he can get the best out of you. We have the flair, we play well but as long as we don’t have players in Ligue 1, La Liga, Primeira Liga, in the Premier League, Serie A . . . We can say we’re good but we need players in that level because others will follow,” said Mosimane.
He added: “I’ve coached against Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante. The real challenge in South Africa is why we don’t have players in those spaces.
“We discuss development, but we don’t address how to get there. It all comes down to positioning, xeball control, and decision-making — skills that distinguish superstars like Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, and Neymar.
