Morena Mothupi
Pitso Mosimane has had a memorable tenure as Al Ahly coach, one that many wouldn’t have thought possible, when he traded the Mamelodi Sundowns jersey for that of the Red Devils.
Mosimane has been head coach of the Egyptian giants for 16 months and has achieved what many an African coach fails to in their entire careers.
He took over one of African football’s scariest jobs in September 2020, after an incredibly successful eight years with Sundowns, that saw him win 11 trophies, including five league titles.
‘Jingles’ as he is nicknamed, garnered great respect from the north African heavyweights when he guided the ‘Brazilians’ to CAF Champions League glory in 2016.
He then etched his name in their minds for eternity when his Sundowns side humiliated Ahly in a Champions League quarter-final tie, beating the African Club of the Century 5-0 – the first time the club from up north had ever lost by that margin.
When he arrived in Cairo, he was afforded no time to settle in and get his wits about him, as he had the Egypt Cup final and Champions League semi-finals to deal with.
The former Bafana Bafana mentor clinched the Egypt Cup and then did one better and secured Ahly’s ninth Champions League crown.
What made this Champions League triumph more special was that it was the club’s first since they beat Orlando Pirates to win the 2013 edition – a very long drought for an institution as ambitious as Ahly.
Victory in Africa’s premier club competition couldn’t be celebrated for very long as their next assignment was the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup in December.
They got over the first hurdle, Qatar’s Al Duhail, but fell to the might of European champions Bayern Munich.
In the bronze medal encounter against South American kings Palmeiras, Mosimane and his boys came out on top, finishing the showpiece as the third best football club on earth.
The 57-year-old became the first South African coach to not only take part in the Club World Cup twice, but also the first to bag a medal.
Eight months after winning his second Champions League title, he landed his third, this time at the expense of a team he spent his entire coaching career going up against, Kaizer Chiefs.
He and his boys were too good for Amakhosi, which meant Ahly secured a record-extending 10th African trophy.
Also Read: Pitso Mosimane nominated for the Manager of the Year award
The man from Kagiso has been lauded as arguably the best African coach of all time and although his efforts have not attracted the attention of FIFA, with the Coach of the Year accolade, many in the football community believe he is deserving of much recognition and then some.
There have even been murmurs that he is ready to manage teams in the top five European leagues.
While those who admire him wait for the rest of the football world to see his brilliance, Chief Soccer Correspondent at the New York Times, Rory Smith penned an in-depth piece in the world-renowned publication, highlighting Mosimane’s greatness and opening the followers of the Times to a football giant they have not known.
Pitso Mosimane enjoyed a better 2021 than almost any coach in world soccer. Just don’t expect FIFA to notice, @RorySmith writes. https://t.co/ePzLpEpXDO
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 16, 2022
Not only does he highlight this greatness, he also questions what it will take for coaches of ‘Jingles’’ calibre to get the recognition they deserve. Must they only coach in Europe?
Smith’s piece seeks not to flatter African coaches and African football, but to draw much-needed attention to the underestimation of the continent’s game.
