Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane said the opportunity to coach Africa’s top successful club at Al Ahly is like being asked to sign up for Real Madrid or Barcelona in Europe.
Mosimane’s resolve to leave Mamelodi Sundowns and sign up for Al Ahly this week came as a bomb in South African football. The coach and his circle of relatives left on Thursday and Ahly’s new coach will be announced in Cairo on Friday.
In a YouTube interview the day before the coach left with Shoot Online and his lead journalist Matshelane Mamabolo, the freelance journalist who published the story in TimesLIVE on Wednesday, Mosimane explained his decision.
When asked about signing a new contract at Sundowns in May’ and then joining Ahly months later’ Mosimane said, ‘You know my contract is starting, you know Corona has ruined everything, and my contract will start next season.
“But because of the crown, things overlap. And the contract is then a component of that overlap where you would say” if this opportunity of Al Ahly comes here if Corona is not here, then this opportunity would be before the contract renewal. “
“But that was not the case. Then you do what you have to do. And you have to stay ‘because I wanted to stay’ of course. And I said ‘before I signed my contract’ that I was looking to stay. ‘”. You have to stay where you’re loved.
“But as things are, things change. And this opportunity has come. And, unfortunately, the opportunity comes after the signing of the contract.
‘Yes’, there were opportunities from the same team and other groups before ‘to be honest’, but it’s not concrete like this year.
‘This’ when other people say we sent you the contract if you’re satisfied ‘it’s a completely different story to say’ ‘You know I sent through the team’ I got a mandate from the team to communicate with you. ‘You know those things ‘you never take them too seriously because anyone can say anything.
‘But ha’ points to a contract and presents an opportunity and you feel that this is a wonderful opportunity in terms of the profile of the team ‘like you as a coach who has never left the line.
And you have to get out of your convenience zone. And also telling yourself, “Look, you also have to show our local coaches that it’s imaginable that one of us can become a coach in the continent’s big leagues. “”
“I mean, it’s like training Madrid or Barca in Europe. It’s like training Flamengo or Santos or River Plate or Boca Juniors in South America. It’s that big.
“Then you think, “Let me go. ” Of course, you know the dangers are wonderful in those big clubs and if you also look at the team record, then you probably wouldn’t be simple because saying ‘Hey, the coaches don’t last in this space’.
“But I can say the same thing when I got Mamelodi Sundowns. A coach’s lifespan doesn’t exceed even a year. “
“And I thought, ‘Would you like to move on to this environment?'” But look what came out of there. It’s been almost 8 years. “
Mosimane finished the hat-trick a week ago for Sundowns, his fifth name in the Brazilian league and the 10th in the club.
He won the Caf Champions League with Downs in 2016, beating Ahly’s fierce war matches in Cairo, Zamalek, and joining egyptian giants who have won all eight Champions League titles.