By Andrew Warshaw
June 5 – South Africa’s notorious impatience with national coaches has snared yet another victim after Pitso Mosimane was fired today following the country’s disappointing start to the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign – he will be succeeded by Steve Komphela.
Mosimane (pictured top, on left alongside Komphela), 47, lost his job after the 2010 World Cup hosts were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Ethiopia, 71 places below them in the FIFA rankings, in their opening African Group A qualifier on Sunday (June 3).
He will be replaced by 44-year-old assistant Komphela – a former South Africa international defender – for the next qualifier away to neighbours Botswana.
Since moving back into international football 20 years ago, South Africa has employed no fewer than 15 coaches.
Mosimane (pictured above) had been a man under pressure ever since embarrassingly botching calculations last year when trying to qualify for the 2012 African Nations Cup finals.
South Africa were comfortably placed going into their last group game at home but played for a draw which they thought would be enough because of goal difference, only to discover that head-to-head results were the decisive factor, so missing out on the finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
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