Pitso Mosimane

Al Ahly will extend head coach Pitso Mosimane’s contract before the team leaves for their CAF Champions League trip to South Africa. Photo: EPA/ALI HAIDER

Mosimane: All is not lost despite FIFA Club World Cup heartbreak

Despite Al Ahly’s defeat to Palmeiras in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, Pitso Mosimane says there is still something to play for.

Pitso Mosimane

Al Ahly will extend head coach Pitso Mosimane’s contract before the team leaves for their CAF Champions League trip to South Africa. Photo: EPA/ALI HAIDER

Al Ahly were knocked out of the Club World Cup after a 2-0 defeat to Palmeiras of Brazil on Tuesday. In fairness, the result was not wholly unexpected considering Mosimane was without a host of leading players who were missing due to injuries or as a result of Afcon-related duties.

READ | CHIEFS VS PSL: WORST-CASE SCENARIO COULD SEE AMAKHOSI LOSE CRUCIAL POINTS

Prior to this match, Mosimane already reiterated that ‘Africa will always be compromised’ when it comes to the priority placed on certain competitions, and questioned why Afcon and the Club World Cup overlapped in terms of the tournament scheduling.

Palmeiras will now go on to play the winner of the other semi-final between Premier League giants Chelsea or Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, while Al Ahly will do battle for the bronze medal match.

Mosimane still believes it’s something worth playing for

“We have to keep going, we have a medal to play for. It’s not all lost,” said Mosimane after the match. 

“We should try and get a medal for the continent. We have to try more and come again next year and do better.”

READ | AGENT CONFIRMS STAR MIDFIELDER IS ON HIS WAY OUT AT CHIEFS

Pitso has questioned how these two tournaments could possibly have been scheduled to take place at the same time

“CAF and FIFA arrange games on top of each other, it’s amazing. It’s unbelievable how this happens, it’s like nobody knew when the Cup of Nations was, and nobody knew when the FIFA Club World Cup was. But Africa will always be compromised when it comes to this. Now we play Palmeiras who are rested, and we have to play again… why did they not play earlier, what’s the criteria?

“Anyway, we’re not politicians, we talk about football, but those are the realities. The scale is not proper when it comes to Africa and Europe, that’s a fact. We can hide it, or prefer not to talk about it, but it’s a fact that’s there.”

In February 2021, under the tutelage of Mosimane, Al Ahly secured a bronze medal as they finished third in the tournament.

READ | HARRIET ROBSON SHARES FIRST MESSAGE SINCE ARREST OF GREENWOOD