With head coach Pitso Mosimane now out of work and stating his desire to coach a national team, we thought we would take a look at his compatibility for a job he has long been linked with, the Nigeria national team.
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In a recent interview with the South African Football Journalists' Association, the 59-year-old ruled out an immediate return to football management after being heavily linked with the vacant Kaizer Chiefs position following his recent exit from Emirati team Al Wahda. The Kagiso native, however, did allude to being open to possibly taking charge of a national team in future, having received a nudge in that direction by Morocco boss Walid Regragui.
"I speak to (Senegal coach Aliou Cisse) and (Morocco coach Walid Regragui), who messaged me when I left Al Wahda, he said: 'Coach, come (to the national team fold). We need to see you at the World Cup. You, me and Cisse. The African boys should be at the World Cup. And with nine spaces at the World Cup, there's no way that you can't be a part of that.' I said we will see," he told members of the institution.
He went on to further elaborate that he harbours ambitions of winning the Africa Cup of Nations and participating at a FIFA World Cup with an African nation that can genuinely compete, and one can't help but think that a side that could fit these criteria is the Nigeria national team.
After conquering the continent on South African soil a decade ago, the Super Eagles have retreated to a state of dormancy, have made it past the round of 16 stage at AFCON only once since then, failing to qualify for the competition altogether in 2015 and 2017. This is despite regularly producing some of the continent's best players.
It's a project that perhaps could do with somebody like Mosimane as he has a legacy of reviving sleeping giants. Al Ahli, Al Ahly, and perhaps most famously Mamelodi Sundowns. For all the money that Masandawana were throwing around prior to his arrival, there didn't seem to be any semblance of structure as a league title eluded them. Although strides were made under former Barcelona stars Hristo Stoichkov and Johan Neeskens, it was Mosimane who laid the groundwork for the Tshwane outfit to become the continental force they are today.
The Nigeria Football Federation is believed to have been plagued by administrative issues in recent years, with both the men's and women's national sides often being rumoured to be disgruntled about delayed payments. Should Mosimane be appointed head coach of the three-time African champions, he will also have to deal with probably the biggest personalities he has ever had to deal with in his career.
Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Victor Boniface, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho are all prominent players at their respective clubs, and with all due respect to players Mosimane has coached in the past, none of them command the presence the aforementioned players do.
However, there is every possibility that the three-time CAF Champions League-winning tactician is able to circumvent these obstacles given his larger-than-life personality as well as his track record. The former midfielder has never been one to mince his words, and he should have no problem imposing himself within the dressing room.
His last stint with a national team was with Bafana Bafana, and while that may have not been his most memorable stint in his career, he was able to top an AFCON qualification group that included Egypt. While the likes of Teko Modise and Kermit Erasmus were quality players on their day, they were not Ballon d'Or nominees like Osimhen and I think that, given better players, Mosimane could definitely make a splash with the Super Eagles.
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The South African coach does not play the same expansive football perhaps his protege Rulani Mokwena does, but he does play winning football, and I do think his more pragmatic approach is perfectly suited for a side like the west Africans, who have speedy wingers and strikers. He has been close to joining the African juggernauts on two occasions, once prior to arriving at the Cairo International Stadium to join Al Ahly, and again before signing for Saudi giants Al Ahli, so perhaps after the next AFCON, it could finally be the time when he leads Nigeria back to contending on the world's biggest stages.
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