Michaelson Ntokozo Gumede

By Ntokozo Gumede

Journalist


Could Sundowns get Pitso Mosimane fired at Al Ahly?

The Red Devils play against Mosimane’s former side, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the Caf Champions League quarterfinal and that could well be his final match in charge of the defending champions if he loses.


If you’re looking for a trigger happy football boss in South Africa you look no further than Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi – the chairman of Chippa United – who does not hesitate to sack coaches when the results are not satisfying.

ALSO READ:  Pitso Mosimane asks Al Ahly to table an offer for Sundowns’ Peter Shalulile

In Egypt, Al Ahly president Mahmoud “Bibo” El Khatib operates in the same manner as a string of three bad results could lead to dismissal.

Current Al Ahly head coach, Pitso Mosimane, has been under the spotlight of criticism of late as his side are going through a bit of a slump in the Egyptian League where they find themselves at second place behind arch rivals Zamalek, having collected 40 points in 18 games.

The Red Devils play against Mosimane’s former side, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the Caf Champions League quarterfinal and that could well be his final match in charge of the defending champions if he loses over two legs to his former employers.

The Champions League, is a competition that Ahly pride themselves on, as they usually cruise in the domestic league where they have won it in the last five seasons. Mosimane is under a lot of pressure to successfully defend the Champions League.

If Sundowns beat Al Ahly over the two-legged affair, there is no reason to not believe that he could lose his job, and how ironic would it be for him if the side which he abandoned last September, becomes the team responsible for his demise.

Mosimane delivered the first Champions League crown to the Cairo-based side in seven years and that being the first under the presidency of “Bibo”, but getting eliminated at this stage will irk the powers that be as part of his mandate is to win the Champions League.

Even though “Jingles” did lead the side to a domestic treble in his first couple of games, a lot of criticism has been levelled at the former Bafana Bafana coach, with some legends of the club questioning his abilities while some have lambasted him for riding on his predecessor, Rene Weiler’s hard work as “Jingles” arrived to find the side already in the semifinals of the Champions League and the league had long been wrapped up.

Moustafa Younes, who represented the Club of the Century in the 70s and 80s, told Kingfut that Mosimane had stolen Weiler’s limelight and went on to express his lack of belief in “Jingles”.

“He took Weiler’s job and stole his successes after his departure in the midst of competitions, and any one of Al Ahly’s ‘sons’ is way better than Mosimane. I said before that I will wait and rate Pitso Mosimane at the end of the first leg of the league, and I discovered that he had stolen René Weiler’s success,” Youness told Kingfut.

He added: “No one talks to me about the fatigue problem in Al Ahly. They are the best team in Egypt. Al Ahly is used to accept Zamalek’s gifts and take advantage of them and secure the league title. However, the new thing this season is not only that Al Ahly reject Zamalek’s gifts, but instead gift them new ones.”