Pitso is worth every cent – Motsepe
Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe said part of the delay to renew Pitso Mosimane’s contract was because of his attachment and admiration of the coach’s work.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Sundowns extended Mosimane’s contract with a further four years after months of protracted negotiations.
There has been speculation suggesting that “Jingles” could have left the club as there have been suitors from within and outside of the African continent.
However, Motsepe did hint that Mosimane’s new deal Is worth a lot, and the mining magnate says the one-time African Coach of the Year is worth every cent.
“He is my Sir Alex Ferguson, I have always said I want to keep him at Sundowns. Of course, I have a board and have to listen to them. I was told I must stay out of this thing because I was the problem, and that is true. I said they must give him the money he wants but they said I have a soft spot for Pitso. How can I not like him? He is one of us.
“I have always said that if Pitso gets better offers, he must take the offer if Sundowns are not willing to pay him the competitive salary. If you don’t pay people, I am going to lose them. Pitso is a very special coach. You can’t pay Pitso what you pay him when he started, and you can’t even pay him the money that he got when he won the Caf Champions League.
“You really now have to go to the bank and extend your over draught. But I can tell you that every cent we are spending and must continue to spend on Pitso, I am very confident that it is money well-spent. If Sundowns did not want Pitso to be at Sundowns, we would have told him long ago. And if Pitso did not want to work at Sundowns, we would have replaced him long ago.
“Any employee, whether you are a chief executive officer or a taxi driver, if you do well, you should attract interest from others and it makes us proud. I have always said if Pitso gets better offers, whether from North Africa or Europe, he must take that offer because if Sundowns is not prepared to pay him a competitive salary.”
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