Intense Rivalry: Gavin Hunt vs Pitso Mosimane

Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt were born in July in 1964, the former in Kagiso 15 days after the latter came into this world in Cape Town.

They chose football as their vocation: Mosimane starring for Jomo Cosmos, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Ionikos of Greece and Qatar's Al Saad. Hunt fulfilled his playing obligations for Hellenic.

In their current occupation as coaches, they have been outstanding.

Along the way they have developed an intense rivalry characterised by fierce competition. But Mosimane is the reigning king of the African coaching kingdom with the Caf Champions League, Super Cup and Africa's best coach crown jewels.

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Hunt has had a combined playing and coaching career in the country that stretches some 36 years, which is just a few years ahead of Mosimane. Hunt has coached six Premier Soccer League clubs - Seven Stars, Black Leopards, Moroka Swallows, SuperSport United and Wits - winning three league and cup gongs apiece.

Former Bafana Bafana mentor Mosimane has only coached two clubs, SuperSport United and Sundowns, amassing two league titles and four domestic cups.

The intrigue of the May Day game is that both adversaries defined their careers at SuperSport United.

Mosimane transformed the team from a style-less, soulless boring-to-watch lily-white outfit to a stylish, soulful, pleasing-to-the-eye one. With their brand of soek-soek football, United finished as bridesmaid twice in the PSL under him. Hunt came in and took them to a hat-trick of league titles in 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10.

Since then debate has raged with some arguing Mosimane had laid a foundation for Hunt to carry the team over to the championship line and others saying Hunt did it on his own.

Mosimane and Hunt bring out the best and worst in each other. Their rivalry has pushed the two to always attempt to outdo each other. Below are some of the choice words and pot shots the duo have exchanged:

Mosimane reacting to a statement that Wits have an advantage in the league race last season as they only had to focus on the league after being knocked out early in the Caf Confederation Cup while Sundowns were still in the Champions League.

"When you say that I am not focusing on the Champions League or the Confed Cup, I will take all my resources to the league - are you in a position to win the league at this point in time? At this point in time, you are in a position to finish second. Yes, you can fight for the league and you are showing signs that you want the league but it's not in your hands.

"It's in our hands. No one can determine our fate, that we are going further in the Champions League so we can't handle our business in the league.

"I want to test [my team by going for everything] so that I know next time where we are at. Even last season people were saying, 'Oh Confederation Cup. I don't want it. I will focus on the league'. Those people never won the league. In fact, they won nothing. Zero. What makes you think that they will win something this season?

"They might get nothing, and still you, say you, don't want this Confederation Cup you are focusing on that. Okay, you put all your eggs in one basket. If your basket falls? You have nothing."

Hunt's response to criticism that he doesn't take continental competitions seriously.

"That's absolute bullshit. Because they've got no idea what they're talking about. So, we [Wits] are going to get relegated, but I'll win the Champions League. Or, 'Oh, he's winning in Africa but can't win the league domestically'.

"What do you want? I mean, please, just look at the record for the last 25 years as a coach - I've never been out of the top six in the league. Give me the budgets of those teams [like Sundowns] and we'll see where we go. But I don't have them, so I'll continue working with what I've got and building teams and players."

Hunt after Wits beat Sundowns in the MTN8 final

"Sundowns' front four who played against us in the [MTN8] final was worth over R50-million. My front four who played in that cup final was worth nothing - we got them all for free. I mean last year Sundowns bought our player [Sibusiso Vilakazi] for a record fee. I can't buy Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly. Sundowns can afford to do that. And they should be doing that.

"The three big clubs in South Africa should be able to play across all fronts. We've got to concentrate on one game at a time, and see where best to put our emphasis. And last year for us the best place was to try and challenge more in the league."

Mosimane's response on who has more to brag about after Wits won the MTN8 at the expense of Sundowns.

"They won what? I can say that I won the Super Cup. I can say that I won the Champions League. I can say that I won the league with 71 points.

"They [Wits] were 14 points behind us. I can mention all that if we are bragging. I can bring out the Telkom Knockout. I can go on and on. I can mention playing in the Fifa [Club] World Cup if we are bragging."

sports@timesmedia.co.za