Pitso Mosimane named new Bafana Bafana Coach

But a reported R5m Bafana offer dwarfed by previous coaches’ pay packets

By: Sports Reporter

New Bafana Bafana Coach Pitso Mosimane. Picture: X

Pitso Mosimane is set to return as Bafana Bafana head coach, but a reported R5-million-a-year offer has raised eyebrows when compared with the salaries earned by some of his predecessors.

Mosimane is on the verge of a second spell in charge of Bafana Bafana after the South African Football Association (SAFA)’s National Executive Committee (NEC) endorsed his appointment on Saturday.

SAFA confirmed that its NEC had approved Mosimane as Hugo Broos’ successor, although final negotiations still have to be concluded.

Reuters also reported that SAFA had selected the 62-year-old but that some contractual details remained to be finalised.

But while the appointment represents a major homecoming for one of South Africa’s most decorated coaches, the reported salary attached to the deal has become a major talking point.

According to the Sunday World front page supplied to GOAL, Mosimane rejected a reported R5-million-a-year offer from SAFA.

That equates to approximately R416,667 per month.

The figure is particularly striking when compared with what some of Bafana’s previous coaches reportedly earned.

FROM R1.8M A MONTH TO A REPORTED R5M A YEAR

The most dramatic comparison comes from the era of Carlos Alberto Parreira.

The Brazilian, who guided Brazil to the 1994 FIFA World Cup title, was appointed to lead South Africa towards the 2010 World Cup on home soil.

Parreira was reportedly earning around R1.8 million a month. That amounted to approximately R21.6 million a year.

The scale of the appointment reflected the expectations surrounding the 2010 World Cup and Parreira’s status as a World Cup-winning coach. Contemporary reporting also placed his monthly salary at around R1.8 million.

Parreira’s successor, fellow Brazilian Joel Santana, was reportedly paid around R1.4 million a month, or approximately R16.8 million a year.

The figures demonstrate just how much SAFA was prepared to spend on high-profile foreign coaches during the build-up to the 2010 World Cup.

MOSIMANE ONCE EARNED ALMOST R10M A YEAR

Interestingly, Mosimane himself has previously occupied a much higher salary bracket than the one suggested by the latest reported offer.

After Parreira’s departure, Mosimane took over as Bafana coach.

His salary was reported at approximately R800,000 a month, equivalent to R9.6 million a year.

That was already a significant reduction from Parreira and Santana, but still considerably higher than the reported R5 million annual offer now being discussed.

If the reported figures are accurate, Mosimane’s proposed annual package would be roughly R4.6 million lower than the annual salary associated with his first Bafana spell.

IGESUND AND MASHABA

After Mosimane’s departure in 2012, Gordon Igesund took charge.

Igesund was reported to have earned approximately R450,000 a month, translating to around R5.4 million a year.

Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba, who succeeded Igesund, was reported at approximately R500,000 a month, or about R6 million annually.

Those figures put the reported R5 million Mosimane offer firmly in the same territory as the salaries attached to some of the coaches who occupied the Bafana hot seat more than a decade ago.

BAXTER’S REPORTED SALARY

Stuart Baxter’s second stint as Bafana coach also generated debate over his remuneration.

Reports at the time differed over the exact figure, but one widely reported figure placed his salary at approximately R490,000 a month.

That would work out at around R5.88 million a year.

The discrepancy between different reports is a reminder that SAFA has not consistently published detailed coaching contracts, meaning many of the salary figures in the public domain are media reports rather than officially disclosed remuneration packages.

BROOS RETURNED BAFANA TO THE MILLION-RAND BRACKET

Broos represented another significant jump.

The Belgian, who took over in 2021, was widely reported to be earning somewhere in the region of R1.5 million to R1.8 million a month, depending on the source and period being discussed.

Daily Maverick reported his salary at approximately R1.8 million a month.

At R1.5 million a month, the annual figure would be R18 million.

At R1.8 million, it would be R21.6 million.

That places Broos and Parreira in a completely different financial category from the reported R5 million package currently associated with Mosimane.

Additional Info: EWN