Pitso Mosimane: “Football is a Culture, Not Just a Business”

image: soccer zone

by Lwandiso Simanga
Renowned coach Pitso Mosimane has raised concerns over the direction South African
football is taking, lamenting the disappearance of historic clubs due to commercial
decisions. Citing recent developments such as the sale of SuperSport United his former
team land the earlier dissolution of Bloemfontein Celtic and Bidvest Wits, Mosimane
questioned the sustainability of a system where heritage is so easily erased.

Reflecting on the impact, Mosimane highlighted the irony that Gavin Hunt, a four-time
Premier League-winning coach, led both SuperSport and Wits clubs that no longer
exist in their original form. “If you talk to a six-year-old today about SuperSport or Wits,
they don’t know anything about those clubs,” he noted, comparing this to European
teams like Leeds United, which remain part of football history despite relegations.

He emphasized that football, particularly in communities like Bloemfontein, is deeply
rooted in culture. “Football does not need to be marketed there it’s all they know,”
Mosimane explained, warning against treating football purely as a commercial venture.

Drawing a parallel to rugby, he questioned why institutions like the Cheetahs or Blue
Bulls could never be wiped out or renamed, yet the same respect isn’t afforded to
football clubs. For Mosimane, the trend of selling off and renaming clubs signals a
deeper cultural loss one that threatens the very soul of South African football.