Hours before battling Orlando Pirates in the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round, Saint-Eloi Lupopo’s head coach, Guy Bukasa, lauded Pitso Mosimane and Florent Ibenge.
As young as 38 years, the Congolese tactician has made Africa sit and take notice after guiding Lupopo to a 3-0 first-leg victory over the Buccaneers in Lubumbashi last week.
CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: ORLANDO PIRATES VS SAINT-ELOI LUPOPO
With just 90 minutes away from a historic progression in the group stages, Bukasa has revealed where he draws inspiration.
“Florent is a model for us,” Bukasa told local media. “He’s a model for young coaches for every people those are working in football development,” he added.
The 63-year-old Ibenge, currently in charge of Azam FC in Tanzania, is a two-time CHAN winner with DR Congo, CAF Confederation Cup champion and Moroccan Cup winner with Renaissance de Berkane.
“10 years ago that business of coaching was not respected in Africa. Most of times they were just considering people from Europe.
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“But you can see that coaches like Florent Ibenge, Pitso Mosimane they bring respect to African coaches and that’s motivation for us,” he added.
Mosimane is the continent’s greatest ever coach with a record three CAF Champions League titles with Mamelodi Sundowns and twice with Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
FACING THE BUCCANEERS IN SOWETO
Lupopo’s 3-0 advantage puts them in a commanding position going into the second leg, but Bukasa insists his team won’t sit back. He’s wary of the threat that Orlando Pirates, one of South Africa’s top Betway Premiership clubs, still pose at home.
“We respect Pirates,” he continued. “They are strong and experienced. But we are also ready. We came this far to compete, not to defend,” he concluded.
If Bukasa’s Lupopo can complete the job in Johannesburg, it would mark one of the most remarkable upsets of the season.
