Pitso Mosimane is leaving Al Ahly under shock circumstances. Photo: Twitter @AlAhlyEnglish
REVEALED: Why Pitso Mosimane may have wanted to leave Al Ahly
Pitso Mosimane is believed to have grown disillusioned with the criticism and behind-the-scenes disruptions at Al Ahly.
Pitso Mosimane is leaving Al Ahly under shock circumstances. Photo: Twitter @AlAhlyEnglish
Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly disappointingly finished as CAF Champions League runners-up after recently losing 2-0 to Wydad Athletic Club in the final played at Mohamed V Stadium.
Quite abruptly, Mosimane has suddenly come in for some criticism from certain parts of the football world, despite otherwise enjoying what has been a highly successful coaching stint at Al Ahly.
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Although the former Sundowns and Bafana coach had just penned a new two-year deal with the Egyptian giants, it’s been stated that he requested clearance to leave the club after recent meetings.
It’s understood that Mosimane and his representatives were disillusioned after post-season meetings were publicised, sparking rumours about his potential future at the club, and leading to widespread speculation.
Despite Mosimane’s success at Al Ahly, where he has won five trophies since moving from Sundowns, there’s been persistent criticism of the coach by some of the club legends and a growing section of the local fans and press.
“The coach has been trending in Egypt,” his irate agent Moira Tlhagale told SABC Sport last week.
“He had about three days here at home and left on Saturday to go to Morocco for the CAF Pro License. But then I got a WhatsApp that there’s a meeting and they’ve been looking for him for a meeting that is in person.
“I sent them the program, reiterating that the director and president of the club know where the coach is – then a zoom meeting on Tuesday night was agreed to. The meeting is not a surprise, because this is really not the first time and it’s normal for any business, I do the same with my staff.”
“What is abnormal for me is [for the club] to announce in the media that the board is having a meeting with the coach…that has taken us, as the management company, by surprise. In summary, not much happened [in the Zoom meeting] on Tuesday and it was agreed that it’s better to meet in person with the coach when he comes back.”
A well-placed source also told TimesLIVE that there were too many issues between the coach the club for the relationship to continue.
“There were too many things happening behind the scenes over the past few weeks that led to this situation.”
Another point of disagreement was reported to be the intent to bring in a new trainer to work closely with fitness guru Kabelo Rangoaga, who is highly trusted by Mosimane. Rangoaga is now set to leave the club along with performance analysts Musi Matlaba and Kyle Solomon.
Al Ahly also released the below statement in relation to Mosimane’s shock departure.
After a recent meeting, the club stated that all parties had “decided that he (Mosimane) should continue his mission with Al Ahly as a result of the achievements he managed to accomplish during the previous period.
“However, during the meeting that was previously held, Mosimane requested to leave and that he is satisfied with the achievements he managed to accomplish with the club.
“Later on, Mosimane’s decision was discussed and it was decided to approve his request to part ways with the club and to thank him for the achievements that he accomplished.”
The shock news comes just days after Al Ahly’s executive manager Said Shalaby has all but confirmed that Pitso was set to remain in his position as the club’s head coach despite rumours the South African tactician was set to be sacked.
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Despite his notable achievements in Egypt, Mosimane has been under scrutiny recently with former Al Ahly players urging the club board to replace the 57-year-old.
On the other hand, several other footballing personalities have come out in support of ‘Jingles’.
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Shalaby believed Pitso Mosimane would continue with the club as the board was pleased with the team’s performance under his watch.
“There is always coordination with the club’s board and the planning committee. Mosimane had requested a vacation because we worked for long periods without rest, so his vacation was after coordination with the club.”
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PITSO MOSIMANE’S AL AHLY MISS OUT ON R40 MILLION AFTER LATEST CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEFEAT
Apart from his failure to deliver another CAF Champions League trophy, Mosimane also missed out on adding another R40 million to Al Ahly’s bank account.
The CAF Champions League pays $2.5 million to ultimate winners, and that equates to around R40 million in South African Rands.
And this is disappointing for Al Ahly considering that they invested a lot in dominating continental football so much so they even handed Mosimane a new bumper deal in February.
Wydad won the R40 million while Al Ahly walked away with silverware medals and $1.25 million (R20 million) for their efforts.
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