Pitso Mosimane has admitted that he is under pressure to produce positive results as he begins his latest chapter with Bafana Bafana against Guinea in a crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
Mosimane, who was reappointed as South Africa’s head coach earlier this month, will officially begin his third stint in charge when Bafana face Guinea in the opening Group D qualifier at 3pm.
More than three weeks after taking ownership of the keys to the Bafana technical office, the experienced coach will finally get the opportunity to give the nation a glimpse of the ideas and tactical solutions he has been working on since his return.
And Mosimane knows that the wait is over.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach did not attempt to hide from the expectations surrounding his return, acknowledging that pressure is an unavoidable part of coaching at international level.
«“We are all under pressure, even at international level, in Europe and everywhere. The minute you do not feel the pressure, I think arrogance then creeps in, and so does complacency,” Mosimane said.»
“There is pressure and there are expectations, and results are expected.”
The pressure surrounding Saturday’s encounter was heightened on Friday when Guinea coach Paulo Duarte failed to attend the mandatory pre-match press conference at Orlando Stadium.
Duarte instead sent his third assistant, Mamadouba Sylla, to face the media alongside Guinea midfielder Mory Konaté. Reports from the press conference indicated that Duarte chose to concentrate on his team’s training session, despite efforts to convince him to attend.
The decision added an extra layer of intrigue to an already important Group D encounter.
While the Portuguese coach’s absence prompted speculation about possible mind games, Guinea’s representatives insisted that the team remains focused on producing a strong performance against Bafana.
For Mosimane, however, the attention is firmly on his own team and the responsibility that comes with leading South Africa.
Bafana’s preparations have generally gone according to plan, although injuries have disrupted some of Mosimane’s plans. Lebohang Maboe and Nkosinathi Sibisi have been concerns in the build-up, with Sibisi ruled out of the Guinea clash after missing training sessions.
Mosimane has retained much of the core of the squad that represented South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup while also introducing five players receiving their first senior call-ups: Lebone Seema, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Yanela Mbuthuma, Puso Dithejane and Tashreeq Matthews.
The Guinea encounter is particularly significant because Group D also contains Kenya, who are co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON and automatically qualify for the tournament. Under the competition regulations, only the highest-placed team other than Kenya from the group will qualify, increasing the importance of the early matches.
There will be little time for Mosimane to settle into his new-old job.
After Guinea, Bafana travel to Cairo to face Eritrea at the Al-Salam Stadium on Wednesday, September 30, before completing the international window with a friendly against Egypt at Cairo International Stadium on October 4.
For now, though, all roads lead to Orlando Stadium.
The keys have been handed over. The planning is done. The pressure is acknowledged.
Now Mosimane must show what he has been cooking.