How eating amagwinya got star fined by Pitso Mosimane

Pitso Mosimane’s push for professionalism in all spheres of a footballer’s life is well documented as he goes to great lengths to ensure his players not only train and play well but their lifestyles are up to standard.

That strictness has helped the Bafana Bafana coach get success in his jobs, most notably at Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly and Saudi Arabia.

One of Mosimane’s former players has shared how the tactician fined a player he veered off the diet that had been subscribed to them.

Speaking to KickOff, former SuperSport United Cavann Sibeko was asked to name the most bizarre thing he has ever witnessed in a dressing room and he shared how Mosimane punished one of his ex-teammates for eating amagwinya.

Mosimane fined player over amagwinya

“At SuperSport United, I remember one day we were training at HM Pitje Stadium. We had a crew from Vaal that was made up of players like Johannes Mine and Pitso Lekone,” he narrated.

“So they arrived early for training since they stayed far away. They decided to buy amagwinya and tea and mangola as their lunch in a nearby shop; eish, unlucky for them, kanti coach Pitso Mosimane uzondlula ngalapho behleli khona.

“So when coach Pitso arrived at training, he addressed us, telling us that he had just seen Johannes Mine feeding his players amagwinya before a training session. ‘I’m going to fine that guy R200’. We were all shocked [laughs].”

Bafana coach mindful of squad diet

Amagwinya, also known as vetkoek or fat cakes, is a traditional South African snack made from fried dough with a crispy golden outside and a soft, fluffy centre.

Mosimane was perhaps mindful of his players adding extra calories when they needed to stay in shape for the demands of professional football.

The Bafana Bafana boss started his highly successful coaching career at SuperSport in 2001 and spent five years at the club before he joined the national team setup in 2010.

He would later become Sundowns coach in 2012 and spent eight trophy-laden years at Chloorkop before joining Egyptian giants Al Ahly in 2020.