by Benjamin Nyirenda
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has said that South Africa has top class players who do well on international level. Mngqithi was responding to a question during an MTN 8 press conference in Chloorkop on Thursday, this was after Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is reported to have said that most of the local players selected for the national team were not good enough for international football.
Mnqgithi said that was surprising that a coach could make such comments while different teams in the league were doing well on international stage.
“I don’t want to comment on this but if you look at it, then you see disrespect at the teams and the players. These players are doing well for their clubs when they play on international stage. Look at Sundowns, they do well in Africa. Cape Town City are doing well and Orlando Pirates do well when they play in Africa. How can someone say the players are not good enough yet we don’t see results from them as well? If you win then you start talking? We should also look at the magnitude of the games that you have won before you can say that. We have top class players in South Africa who do very well at international level. That’s why I am saying I would rather not comment on that, ” Mngqithi said.
Mnqgithi also took a moment to address the notion that local coaches were not good enough, he said there were South African coaches who were now coaching or working with teams outside the country and even beyond the borders of Africa.
“It is so disrespectful to say that we don’t have good coaches as South Africans. Look at Rodger De Sa, he will be with a national team that will be playing at the World Cup. Fadlu Davids is our there also. And Coach Pitso Mosimane has an international job. Benni McCarthy is working at a historically one of the biggest teams in the world. Then how can you say we don’t have good coaches?
“I am not saying we should not have foreign coaches coaching here but we should have foreign or European coaches who want to improve our standard of the game or contribute to the development of our game. I think Marumo Gallants had such a coach but it’s unfortunate the results were not forthcoming. But that football you can not expect to always win, but in answering that question, we have great coaches in South Africa, ” he concluded.