Pitso Mosimane says Pirates’ Thembinkosi Lorch deserves Bafana call-up
JOBURG – Pitso Mosimane believes Pirates' Thembinkosi Lorch's call up to Bafana Bafana is long overdue.
Mamelodi Sundowns mentor Pitso ‘Jingles’ Mosimane has praised the in-form Orlando Pirates winger Thembinkosi Lorch for his exploits in the Absa Premiership and said his call-up to Bafana Bafana was long overdue.
Speaking after receiving his award for Coach of the Month of February, Mosimane, said Lorch who received Player of the Month, had been brilliant for the Buccaneers both in the premiership and the Caf Champions League.
“Lorch has been scoring crucial goals and also contributing to Pirates’ success and exploits on the domestic front and the continent. This award is long overdue and so is his call up to Bafana Bafana, which I think he richly deserves,” Mosimane said at a press conference at the offices of the Premier Soccer League in Parktown, Johannesburg.
Mosimane added that his award was more for his players than himself. “It is the players that win games. If they win their games, I will come here and look good but in actual fact, it’s them that should be looking good.
“I am away most of the time on my Caf Professional Licence but I am surrounded by good coaches, Manqoba Mqithi and [the others] carry the flag in my absence. The award is for everybody and not mine alone as I am part of the group.”
Mosimane, who has spent the past five years on ‘safari’ on the African continent with his Masandawana outfit on Caf Champions League duty, called on Caf to urge other African countries to improve their stadia infrastructure and other related issues of the beautiful game.
“I think the time has come for Caf to lay down the rule book and order member associations to invest in infrastructure development.
“Some of the stadia in our fellow African countries are nothing but dusty pitches that resemble grounds in rural villages. I think it’s high time they are told that if their stadia do not make the grade they will have to forsake their home games and play them in countries with good stadia.”
His team has reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after thrashing Nigerian team Lobi Stars 3–0 in the group stages of the competition with a game in hand to be played at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in Attridgeville on 9 March.
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