Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Pitso Mosimane believes a new culture of unity within the camp is responsible for Bafana Bafana's upturn in international results.
South Africa's 0-0 draw with Egypt in Cairo on Sunday has put the team a step closer to qualifying for the 2012 African Nations Cup and their gritty performance has been met with widespread praise.
Bafana supporters are watching their team with a renewed vigour of late and the man at the head of it all believes the reasons are obvious.
"There is a vibe around Bafana Bafana these days," he told Business Day. "I also changed the attitude of the players towards the national team.
"Now they want to play for their country and they make sure they arrive in camp on time ahead of our matches. That was unheard of.
"And of course, the results are also important and we have done that. Importantly, gone are the days when the media was an opponent rather than a stakeholder."
Mosimane also believes a change in mindset among the backroom staff and a fresh policy of playing on merit has resulted in a better team spirit compared to previous years.
"When I took over the job (in July last year) I tried to make sure that we are all equal in Bafana Bafana," Mosimane added.
"There are no star players and there is no preferential treatment reserved for anyone.
"Overseas-based players do not just walk into the team as they did in the past. They are in the team on merit and not just because they play their football overseas.
"This mentality that they (overseas-based players) are better than the local players actually creates unnecessary friction."
South Africa's 0-0 draw with Egypt in Cairo on Sunday has put the team a step closer to qualifying for the 2012 African Nations Cup and their gritty performance has been met with widespread praise.
Bafana supporters are watching their team with a renewed vigour of late and the man at the head of it all believes the reasons are obvious.
"There is a vibe around Bafana Bafana these days," he told Business Day. "I also changed the attitude of the players towards the national team.
"Now they want to play for their country and they make sure they arrive in camp on time ahead of our matches. That was unheard of.
"And of course, the results are also important and we have done that. Importantly, gone are the days when the media was an opponent rather than a stakeholder."
Mosimane also believes a change in mindset among the backroom staff and a fresh policy of playing on merit has resulted in a better team spirit compared to previous years.
"When I took over the job (in July last year) I tried to make sure that we are all equal in Bafana Bafana," Mosimane added.
"There are no star players and there is no preferential treatment reserved for anyone.
"Overseas-based players do not just walk into the team as they did in the past. They are in the team on merit and not just because they play their football overseas.
"This mentality that they (overseas-based players) are better than the local players actually creates unnecessary friction."
