Supersport United coach Pitso Mosimane is still effectively missing — and remains under a cloak of mystery with a fair measure of intrigue.
Given two weeks’ ”leave of absence” by the M-Net-owned Premier Soccer League club to recover from a strenuous three years without a break because of local and continental commitments with Supersport — and, more recently, with Bafana Bafana — the coach, who has seemingly lost his Midas touch, was due to return to his post last Thursday.
But Supersport general manager Bafana Dlamini on Wednesday confirmed Mosimane had ”still not reported back for duty”.
”We are not over-concerned,” added Dlamini. ”When we initially discussed the matter with Pitso we told him not to hurry and to make a full recovery from the strain and stress that he had been under.
”It’s true we had tentatively expected him back last Thursday after the Premier League defeat against Moroka Swallows,” said the Supersport general manager, ”but it seems the situation is not yet right for his return.”
Dlamini said officially Supersport knew nothing about rumours that Mosimane had negotiated a deal with big-spending Mamelodi Sundowns for next season.
”Pitso himself denied the rumours when we broached him on the subject,” said the Supersport general manager, ”and as far as we are concerned, he remains under contract with us for the coming season.”
Mosimane, who acted as assistant coach to Ted Dumitru during the ill-fated African Nations Cup campaign in Egypt, has since been linked with the positions of both Bafana Bafana interim coach and that of coach of the national team on a more permanent basis.
But Dlamini said Supersport had received no information from the South African Football Association on this subject.
”In any case,” he added, ”even if there is any substance to these reports, it has nothing to do with his current leave of absence.”
And apart from anything else that might materialise, it did appear that mounting strain of his work and personal problems were behind Mosimane’s ongoing absence. — Sapa