JOHANNESBURG – Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane was genuine when he said that he would like to take a sabbatical from football, but he hasn’t decided when to do it.
Mosimane talked about taking a break from football right after guiding the Brazilians to a record eighth league title in the PSL era.
But that success was soured by it coming just after Mosimane’s wife was hijacked.
That incident left her traumatised, and probably is the motivation for Mosimane talking about taking a sabbatical.
“It was a genuine thought,” Mosimane said on Wednesday after being crowned the PSL Coach of the Month for April, with Percy Tau taking the Player of the Month award.
“I still feel like that, even now. When the league is wrapped up, normally you should be letting your hair down. But at this point in time it’s not like that, there are a lot of things coming."
“Firstly, it’s important that we put on a show for the ‘Yellow Nation’ that’s coming to Bloemfontein (on Saturday for the match against Bloemfontein Celtic at Dr. Molemela Stadium)."
“They don’t take anything else but a win. We have to respect them, and try and win the match. And then we have the Champions League that cut short our celebrations because we had to prepare for Wydad Casablanca right after beating Ajax Cape Town to win the league."
“It hasn’t stopped for five years. It has been hectic.”
Percy Tau with Pitso Mosimane at the Coach and Player of the Month announcement on Wednesday. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Mosimane continued: “It’s been intensive preparations for games. There’s been no off-season for the players for four years."
“It’s worse for us because we have to prepare, and in the off-season, we do more preparations than during the season so that by the time we come back, players are finalised. It’s really, really hectic, especially at Sundowns, an ambitious club that must win all the time."
“I still feel like that, that I want to take a break. We will see with time. It’s still a thought at the moment. Probably after the break, I will feel different."
“But at this point in time, it’s hectic. We are the last one to finish and the first one to start – I mean, what a life. We are not machines, we are human beings. You can’t have your mind working all the time."
“Sometimes it’s not your body, but the mind that needs a rest. When things outside of football affect your family, it really becomes hectic, and you start to say that I am never home."
“Things like this happen because I am never home. I should have been home when things like this happened. I can’t complain, though, because I’ve been blessed in football. I’ve had opportunities that not many coaches have had.”