Times Of Swaziland: ‘YUKI’, PITSO REUNITE

‘YUKI’, PITSO REUNITE
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Nimrod Hlophe on 23/01/2025 10:19:00


MBABANE – Reunion!
Dennis ‘Yuki’ Masina, the former captain of Sihlangu, and midfield maestro
for SuperSport United and Bush Bucks, has reunited with his former coach, Pitso
Mosimane, through the latter’s youth football programme.  Masina, who played
under Mosimane at SuperSport United between 2002 and 2004, and again in 2006,
was among the 87 coaches who participated in the Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools
(PMSS) coaching induction held at the High-Performance Centre in Pretoria. The
42-year-old aims to give back to football and share the invaluable lessons he
learnt from Mosimane through the PMSS programme. “For me, coming from
Swaziland (now Eswatini) and having played under Coach Pitso, “I know how he
treats young boys and girls – just as he treated me when I joined SuperSport.
interview
“It’s a wonderful initiative that he has started,” Masina said during an
interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) yesterday.
“It’s a significant step forward for football here in South Africa, and
perhaps we’ll see more players making their way abroad in the future.”
Mosimane signed Masina from Bush Bucks in 2002, and the former Orlando Pirates
and Mpumalanga Black Aces player fondly recalls the pivotal role the most
successful coach in South African football history has ‘played in his life,
both on and off the pitch. “I wouldn’t say he was my only coach, but he was
instrumental in helping me build a house back home in Eswatini when I was still
young. He approached my father to ask if I had a house, and when my father said
no, he offered to take my signing-on fee to construct one,” ‘Yuki’ shared.
“So, for me to be part of this programme is a reminder of my own journey, and
I look forward to helping other young players achieve what he did for me,” the
former Midas City star concluded.
future
PMSS is developing future stars by focusing on providing a structured youth
football development programme to players between the ages of 6 and 19. The PMSS
programme is administered at schools and partner education institutions, and
consists of two elements.