Pitso Mosimane walked back into SAFA House on Tuesday to face the ghost of his past. Fourteen years after his brutal sacking following a modest 39.1 per cent win rate, Jingles returns to Bafana Bafana. But in a game of short memories, can he truly find ultimate redemption?
The debacle in Mbombela against Sierra Leone and a subsequent draw with Ethiopia, eight months later brought his first spell to a painful halt. Across 23 matches in charge between 2010 and 2012, his record stood at nine wins, 10 draws, and four losses, leaving him with a modest 39.1 per cent win rate when his tenure was cut short and his public standing left in tatters.
Does football ever truly grant second chances, or does it merely delay its next heartbreak? Do people ever genuinely forgive, or do they simply store past mistakes away, waiting for the first sign of vulnerability to bring them back to the surface?
In a game governed by short memories and ruthless judgment, redemption is the hardest currency to earn. Yet, as the Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran wrote, "To be able to look back upon one's life in satisfaction is to live twice".
When the 62-year-old tactician stepped up to the podium on Tuesday to be officially unveiled as Bafana Bafana head coach, he entered the auditorium to complete unfinished national business.
