Egypt: "Mosimania" to Al Ahly following the arrival of the South African coach
Pitso Mosimane (left) in 2020 with the coach he succeeds Al Ahly, the Swiss René Weiler.
Khaled DESOUKI / AFP
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
4 min
The appointment of Pitso Mosimane to Al Ahly causes a rare infatuation in Egypt for a foreign coach.
An interest which is explained by the charisma and the results of the South African in his country.
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Al Ahly, which has recently been named African club of the century, has seen seasoned coaches pass on its sidelines since its creation in 1907: the Hungarian Nándor Hidegkuti during the 1970s, the Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary during the years. 1980, the Portuguese Manuel José during the 2000s, or the Spaniard Juan Carlos Garrido during the 2010s ...
However, a sort of “Mosimania” seems to have taken hold of the supporters of the Cairo-based club, since the appointment of Pitso Mosimane on October 1, 2020 in place of the Swiss René Weiler.
Selfies and walkabouts with fans on arrival at the airport or stadium, glowing comments on social networks, words of encouragement from former glories of the “Red Devils” like Wael Gomaa…
First African (non-Egyptian) coach of Al Ahly
Rarely has the appointment of a foreign coach aroused so much interest.
A fact all the more remarkable as the ex-midfielder, aged 56, is the first South African and even African (non-Egyptian) to occupy this position.
In his country, Pitso Mosimane is certainly a superstar.
The eight years he has just spent at the head of Mamelodi Sundowns have a lot to do with it.
With this institution based in Pretoria, the technician won a dozen titles, including the 2016 Champions League. A trophy which allowed him to be named African coach of the year.
This distinction has obviously contributed to the fame outside its borders of the one who also led the selection of South Africa from 2010 to 2012. But Egyptian football fans know him especially through the continental confrontations between their teams and those coached by Pitso Mosimane.
The latter thus presents a record of 4 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats, 12 goals scored and 6 conceded against Egyptian clubs.
A notable performance when we know the lackluster results of South African formations in the Champions League and the Confederation Cup.
Results hoped for very quickly
"
Al Ahly fans are really excited by the appointment of Mosimane, mainly because he is a very experienced manager who has proven on several occasions that he can win trophies at national and continental level
, analyzes Ali Ismail, journalist for the kingfut.com site.
It also comes at a very crucial time of the season, as Al Ahly could potentially pull off the treble as they are still in contention for the Egyptian Cup and the Champions League
”.
On October 17 and then on October 23, Al Ahly is indeed supposed to face Wydad Casablanca in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The supporters of the “National” of Cairo dream of a long-awaited ninth coronation in this competition, which would be a new record.
"
Give me the freedom and the necessary time and I will bring Al Ahly to the next level,
" swore Pitso Mosimane in a first message to the Cairenes.
Time, not sure that it is much, however ...
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