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Johannesburg - In light of his hefty fine for bringing the Premier Soccer League (PSL) into disrepute earlier this season, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane feels South African soccer should “copy” the model used in England for live broadcasting.
“I’ve been looking at how it is done in the UK,” Mosimane said.
“After the match, they (television) don’t come to you with the microphone immediately. They give you space to come to them.
"They don’t interview the coach on the pitch. They leave it for 10 or 15 minutes, so you can have a sip of water or a cup of coffee.”
Following a heavy 3-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates in August, Mosimane, in a heated post-match interview live on television, hinted at a conspiracy against his team after Pirates lodged a complaint querying Alje Schut's eligibility.
The Soweto team queried the player's registration card - the document which gives a player the relevant authorisation to play in the PSL.
Mosimane questioned how Pirates had come to know about the player's card, which he found "very, very strange".
On Tuesday afternoon in Johannesburg, Mosimane made a public apology for his comments, in the company of Sundowns’ owner Patrice Motsepe - a stipulation by the PSL to reduce both his and the club's fines.
Soon afterwards, however, Mosimane called for a review on how post-match interviews were conducted, particularly those broadcast live on television.
Drawing further comparisons, Mosimane asked, somewhat rhetorically, what would happen if Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho had to be interviewed seconds after a game.
He suggested the Portuguese coach, known for his outbursts, would make astounding remarks which would land him in hot water.
PSL rules dictated that coaches were required to give their interviews immediately after the final whistle had been blown. These comments were broadcast live on either SA Broadcasting Commission (SABC) or SuperSport.
Mosimane had serious doubts about the timing of these interviews.
He felt he was simply being “emotional” when he made the comments about Pirates in August, comments which might have been avoided had he been given time to "cool off" and reflect on the game before conducting an interview.
“This thing (soccer) is very emotional. Normally when we talk, we don’t really talk about what happened in the match, we talk about emotions.
“So there is room for improvement for me and for the coaches on our comments afterwards, and everybody should come to the party.
“We’ve got delegations of people who go to Germany for example. They also go and look at the English Premier League and they come back with ideas to improve the product. Let’s copy the good things."
Local soccer suffered as a result of not being able to speak one's mind, he said.
“If you listen to me lately, I don’t talk. I prefer to keep quiet.
“Sometimes I want to give more, but then I just keep quiet and unfortunately football loses out."
Donning a suit and tie at Tuesday’s public apology, the former Bafana Bafana coach joked that he had done away with his tracksuit -- his standard attire for soccer matches.
“I’ll wear this tie and this jacket during the games and speak nicely.
“I’ll come out like a role model, and the best thing is to keep quiet. I think it suits South African media.”
