South Africa Coach Mocks Queiroz Black Stars Appointment

By Emmanuel Kwame Donkor

South African coach, Pitso Mosimane has mocked the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) decision to appoint Portuguese manager Carlos Queiroz over him for the Black Stars job.

The former manager of Egyptian club, Al Ahly, stated that perhaps Queiroz took the Ghana job because he wanted to “go have fun” at the FIFA World Cup one last time.

“And also the other thing was, do I really want to go for two months, for one game, three games, four games?

“Maybe I don’t want three games, four games, right? Because for whatever reason, maybe Carlos says, why not? Let me go have fun. Let me go to the World Cup again so it depends on how you[as coach] see it.”

The experienced South African tactician, who recently parted ways with Iranian club Esteghlal F.C., opened up on how close he came to becoming head coach of Ghana’s national team, clarifying that early contact never progressed into a formal proposal before the job was ultimately handed to another candidate.

Pitso explained that discussions around the Ghana role were exploratory rather than decisive, with no binding steps taken by either side.

“I guess there was a little bit of a talk[taking Ghana to the World Cup]. When I asked the office, the office said there’s a talk. But there was never concrete conversation.”

He further downplayed the seriousness of informal contact, insisting that preliminary conversations do not amount to a genuine coaching opportunity at national team level.

“There was no former letter from the GFA asking we would like to have you and can we have a conversation over this[becoming the next Black Stars coach].

“A call from the Ghana official for me, was not really a serious talk.“

The Ghana job eventually went to Carlos Queiroz, a seasoned international manager with prior links to South African football, and Mosimane suggested that internal selection processes played a major role in the outcome.

Despite being unattached since leaving Esteghlal, Mosimane remains active in football development.

His project, Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools, has now expanded into the Gauteng Development League, reinforcing his growing emphasis on youth development and long-term contribution to the game.

Carlos Queiroz was unveiled on Thursday as he begins preparations for the World Cup as Ghana is housed in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama.