Pitso Mosimane has been warned: Get to the final of next year's Nations Cup - or else.

The Bafana coach was given this ultimatum by the SA Football Association.

Details of the ultimatum were revealed yesterday by Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, standing in for absent Safa president Kirsten Nematandani, who is out of the country watching the Nations Cup.

Nonkonyana said that if Bafana and Mosimane failed to carry out this mission, "heads will have to roll".

At least Mosimane does not have to worry about qualifying, because South Africa will host the tournament next year. But that doesn't mean the pressure will be off him.

Nonkonyana emphasised that reaching the final was essential, but winning it would be a bonus.

So unless Bafana reach the final, Mosimane has only 12 months left in the job. How sacking the coach would affect Bafana's qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup was not addressed by Nonkonyana.

"Naturally we want to reclaim our rightful position in African football and that is to be No1 on the continent," said Nonkonyana.

"We met with our coach and he is amenable [to the terms]. But he acknowledged that he alone cannot succeed. If we are booted out in the first round, it will be a serious indictment. And, I am afraid of the phrase, but heads will have to roll."

Nonkonyana said Safa felt embarrassed that Bafana were not in the top three of the African rankings despite being a founder member of the Confederations of African Football in 1957. Egypt, Sudan, South Africa and Ethiopia were the four associations who founded the African football body.

"To be No1, we need to at least be in the final next year because we will not be amused if we are beaten [early in the tournament]. And I am sure the country and everyone else will revolt against that as well," said Nonkonyana.

The vice-president said in the meeting with Mosimane that Safa had agreed to "give our coach all the support so that he does not have any excuses".

He said following a "technical symposium" at the weekend, Safa also realised the need to beef up Mosimane's coaching staff.

Mosimane has one assistant coach, Jairo Leal, brother of Orlando Pirates mentor Julio Leal.

" . We would like the coach to be able to select the cream of the crop as it were," said Nonkonyana.

Nonkonyana said Safa were keen to amend the football disaster from last year in which Bafana failed to qualify for the Nations Cup currently under way in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

South Africa's Olympic hopefuls, the under-23 team coached by Shakes Mashaba, finished last in the final qualifying tournament in December. And the national under-20 team, Amajita, were bundled out of the Cosafa Cup - losing 5-1 to Zambia. This came after they failed to make it to the World Youth Cup.

At the end of 2011, Safa had failed in its efforts to build on the glory of the 2010 World Cup.