Former Bafana Bafana, Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach, Pitso Mosimane has been awarded his CAF Pro Licence certificate. He is the first South African coach to receive this honour.
The CAF Pro Licence is equivalent to the UEFA A Licence which means Mosimane has the minimum requirements to coach any team in the world. It was handed to him by SAFA President Danny Jordaan at SAFA House on Thursday.
Mosimane was invited into the programme in Morocco three years ago. The course was started in 2018 but was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For us it’s quite a historic milestone in the history of SA football. What we have here is to finally recognize the final qualification of the CAF Pro Licence the candidates were looked at not in terms of the qualifications but the achievements and the others who will win the licence have either won either the Champions League or the Confederations Cup and other major competitions of CAF and have been working over the last three years. What we are going to hand over to coach Pitso Mosimane is the CAF Pro Licence, which is equivalent to the UEFA A Licence, and this licence means that this coach can coach any team anywhere in the world and he stands as the first South African to be counted among such coaches that are recognized across the world,” says Jordaan.
It’s the first of its kind and had 23 other high-profile coaches in attendance, including Senegal’s Aliou Cisse, who won the African Cup of Nations with the Indomitable Lions earlier in the year. RS Berkane coach, Florent Ibenge, as well as Wydad Athletic Club coach, Walid Regragui were also attendees. Mosimane was the only representative from South Africa and the COSAFA region.
“I am humbled and emotional because I am recognized by the federation. We did the course for the last three years. To be part of that programme, you don’t apply, they invited coaches from all regions, Aloui Cisse who just won AFCON, Florent Ibenge from DRC. I was lucky to be invited to be part of that delegation. It’s the first one on the continent and to be part of that was incredible and you are sitting with the people who have won everything including the legendary Egyptian coach Shehata,” says Mosimane.
Mosimane is arguably the most successful coach in South African football history. He is also on the verge of launching the Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools as part of his legacy to contribute towards football in South Africa.
“When I was talking to him about the important matter of school sports I was encouraged by the initiative that he undertook. We are happy that we are handing a licence to a coach who is not only looking at the top but at grassroots where the players come from in a long term, SA football will be in a far better place,” Jordaan added.
“One of the methodologies I am using for my school sports programme, it’s through the German programme that SAFA took me to Germany so it’s a give back through the school sports. We will talk about the school sports when we have time and I had to get the blessings and understand how SAFA works with the schools because I am only a technician,” Mosimane explains.
Mosimane is still looking for a club after parting ways with Egyptian club Al Ahly.
