Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane and his players during the Absa Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Even though there were suitors from North African teams and clubs from other parts of the world, Pitso Mosimane says he always wanted to stay at Mamelodi Sundowns because that is a place he feels “loved” and enjoys the backing of club president Patrice Motsepe.
“He (Motsepe) said he wants me to be the Sir Alex Ferguson of the club and he had no doubts about keeping me. That is one of the reasons why I am here because if you have confidence from the president of the club and from the board, you don’t need anything else to confirm,” said Mosimane, whose contract was extended by four years as he joined Masandawana back in December 2012.
“There are many factors [that keep me here], such as the yellow nation. The fans are always singing at the top of their voices. How do you leave those people? You cannot just up and go just because someone else is interested in you. You have got to think and have your conscious mind. You have to weigh things because some decisions you don’t make because they suit you as an individual, you cannot be selfish. You have to understand that people and emotions are involved and people have really honoured and humbled me in this club.
“I always say this, ‘why would you leave a place where you are loved’. So I have got no reason to leave. Sometimes you think the grass is greener on the other side. I have always said and believed that I will be here and I have always been positive,” he added.
Mosimane does not have a mandate from the board, but one thing that Motsepe said was that he would love to see his club play in the final of the Fifa Club World one day – a tournament they took part in in 2016.
“Sundowns are growing as a club, expectations are growing, we are going for the next four years, and the pressure is growing. We need to see if we are in a position to see if we can deal with the demand and what is expected. If we feel we can handle the demand with what we have, then okay. But we are not going to be shy to make sure that we strengthen when the time and the pressure needs to be.”
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