Former Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has addressed speculation linking him to the Super Eagles coaching job following the expiration of José Peseiro’s contract.
Speaking to Robert Marawa on 947 which was published by IOL, the 60-year-old Mosimane denied ever turning down the opportunity to manage Nigeria’s national team, stressing that a formal offer was never made.
“I have to be honest, I never said no to the Super Eagles, and nobody can easily say no to the Super Eagles,” Mosimane said.
“That situation was there, not there. It has to be on the table. Sometimes when it’s not on the table, you need not get excited, and everything must be done right.”
Despite the rumors, Mosimane maintained that he would have embraced the role. “Who would turn down the chance to coach the Super Eagles? It would have been a good one for me, to be honest, because I really wanted to do national team.”
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) eventually appointed former Super Eagles international Finidi George, who resigned after only two games, accusing the NFF of planning to hire a foreign technical adviser despite initial assurances.
Mosimane, now head coach of Esteghlal FC, has enjoyed success with clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly.
He also spoke highly of Nigeria’s talented players. “Who would not want to coach that front three playing in Napoli, playing in Milan? I mean, you can’t turn that down, but it was never really on the table from the office,” he added.
Mosimane is the latest foreign coach to speak about the Super Eagles job, following comments from World Cup-winning Italian Fabio Cannavaro and former Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast, and Zambia coach Hervé Renard, both of whom turned down the role. German manager Bruno Labbadia also withdrew from the job after the NFF announced his appointment, citing “various organizational things that were problematic” as his reason for backing out.
