Mosimane confirms South African FA contacted him about coaching the national team

Pitso Mosimane, former coach of South African club Mamelodi Sundowns and Egypt's Al Ahly, broke his silence regarding rumors linking him to coaching the South African national team, confirming that the South African Football Association (SAFA) had contacted him, along with others.

The contract of current coach Hugo Broos ends at the end of this month, and it is not yet clear whether he will renew his contract or the association will choose a new coach.

The Belgian, who led the team to participate in two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and to the second round of the 2026 World Cup after 16 years, recently made headlines in his country, stating that he would not return to coach the South African national team.

The South African Football Association quickly denied these claims. This week, a new report by SABC claimed that the Belgian would receive a one-year extension on his contract, while the association is still finalizing arrangements regarding his successor. However, the association again quickly denied this report as well.

Meanwhile, these reports indicated that Mosimane is the leading candidate to succeed Broos should he step down. On the sidelines of the launch of his book 'A Guide to Youth Football Coaching' in Johannesburg on Thursday, Mosimane revealed that he is one of the coaches the South African Football Association contacted regarding a succession plan.

When asked if he was interested in coaching the South African national team, Mosimane said: 'Well, I don't know when contracts end. I think you are talking about coach Hugo Broos, right?'

He added, as reported by the South African newspaper 'I Diski Times': 'I don't know when his contract ends. Is he available or not? But I know that the association contacted many of us about someone to come up with a succession plan: what do you want? What will you do? What is your plan? How do we elevate the South African national team to a better level?'

Mosimane stressed that despite the good performance of the South African national team in the recent World Cup, he feels that the level has not improved much, and that greater achievements are possible.