Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has reacted to his Guinea counterpart Paulo Duarte’s high rating of South Africa as one of the top three footballing nations in Africa.
The Portuguese coach’s remarks came after Bafana edged Guinea 2-1 in a 2027 AFCON qualifier at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday. It was Mosimane’s first game on his return to the national team, and the experienced coach began his second tenure with a win.
Making Bafana’s victory significant was that their squad is dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates players, and they were facing a Guinea side predominantly composed of overseas-based players. Over the years, Bafana have had Betway Premiership players match or overshadow opponents made up of Europe-based stars.
That squad composition justified itself when South Africa made history by reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage. That left Portuguese coach Duarte placing Bafana on the high table of African football, and the rating comes from a coach with vast experience working in Africa with the national teams of Burkina Faso, Gabon and Togo, as well as Angolan giants Primeiro Agosto and CS Sfaxien of Tunisia.
GUINEA MENTOR DUARTE PLACES BAFANA BAFANA IN AFRICA’S ELITE BRACKET
“For me, the three best teams in Africa are Morocco, Senegal and South Africa, in my opinion,” Duarte addressed the media at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.
“Bafana are strong in every sector. I think there were three players who didn’t play today [Saturday]. Unfortunately, there is one good player who passed away [Jayden Adams] from South Africa. There is also one defender from the MLS who was not around [Mbekezeli Mbokazi]. There is also another player who didn’t play [Nkosinathi Sibisi]. For me, South Africa are very good in every department.
“A very good goalkeeper [Ronwen Williams]. In all departments, you have the big players. They have a very good dynamic, very strong guys. Most of the players are playing for Mamelodi Sundowns. They actually play together all the time. They have been playing together for a long time.”
‘HUMBLING’ – PITSO MOSIMANE RESPONDS TO DUARTE
Duarte’s praise of Bafana comes as South Africa are currently ranked 10th in Africa by FIFA, while Guinea are 15th. That places teams like Nigeria, Algeria, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Cameroon and seven-time African champions Egypt ahead of Bafana.
Morocco is the highest-ranked team in Africa and Senegal are at number two. But Mosimane refused to regard the Portuguese coach’s comments as flattery.
“If that’s his assessment, it’s humbling, but top three, yes, we got a bronze [2023 AFCON]. With that, yes,” Mosimane told the media. “But we have a long way to go. They [Guinea] are a good team also; we played well. We are a good team.”
After beating Guinea on Saturday, Bafana have an opportunity to climb up the ladder in the FIFA rankings should they beat Eritrea in another AFCON qualifier on Wednesday. They could also rise by defeating Egypt in the October 4 international friendly match in Cairo.
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