Mohlala urges South Africa to emulate Morocco because foreign coaches ‘are just here to get millions’

• Bafana currently have foreign coach Broos
• They have been struggling to qualify for major tournaments
• Mohlala feels a local coach would be the best to lead Bafana

WHAT HAPPENED? South Africa are currently under the guidance of Belgian Hugo Broos but Mohlala feels a South African is best suited to lead the national team. He claims coaches from overseas do not have the national team at heart and are just around to earn money.

The retired footballer also criticises Broos for what he feels is a disregard of PSL standards. This comes as Broos took a swipe at the level of the PSL's competitiveness. With Walid Regragui having inspired Morocco to the semi-finals of the 2022 Fifa World Cup, Mohlala believes Bafana needs a local mentor.

WHAT DID MOHLALA SAY?: “I think it is time for Safa to look at what Moroccans are doing and who is in charge of their national team,” Mohlala told SunSport. “We keep hiring foreign coaches and make no progress. I think these foreign coaches we hire for the national team do not have the best interest in our football. I think they are just here to get their millions and maintain their lifestyle in their home countries.

“Morocco believed in local coach Walid Regragui and he is making history. Morocco are playing their own philosophy of football and they have beaten world football superpowers like Belgium, Spain and Portugal. But with us [South Africans] we are told by foreign coaches that our football is not good enough.

“The football of the likes of Jomo Sono, Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba and many more were a tick ticker, but when foreign coaches came to Mzansi, they told us our football is not good enough. But you look at European countries now, they are playing the same football the likes of Sono, Mashaba and others used to play. I think it’s time we get back to our own football and have our own coaches.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Under Broos, Bafana failed to qualify for the ongoing Fifa World Cup tournament. Broos’ predecessor Molefi Ntseki had been unsuccessful in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign. The last coach to help Bafana book a ticket for a major tournament was Stuart Baxter who led them to the 2019 Afcon. South Africa has a history with foreign coaches like Philippe Troussier, Carlos Queiroz, Joel Santana and Carlos Alberto Parreira. But they enjoyed their biggest success under Clive Barker who guided them to the 1996 Afcon title and Jomo Sono who helped them reach the 1998 Afcon final.

STORY IN THREE PICTURES:

WHAT IS NEXT FOR BAFANA? The next assignment for Bafana is the resumption of the 2023 Afcon qualifiers with back-to-back fixtures against Liberia in March.