Durban - History and the latest reports suggest that Pitso Mosimane's days as Al Ahly coach could be numbered.
It is currently rumoured that Al Ahly are not happy with the way that Mosimane has been open to the media about the ongoing contract negotiations between him and the club.
“I am not sure where we are at. We negotiated before the CAF Champions League final against Kaizer Chiefs. Until this moment, we haven’t reached an agreement. There is no disagreement about the salary but there are some issues regarding other points in the contract. I want to continue working with Al Ahly and I hope we reach an agreement before the Club World Cup,” Mosimane recently said.
It was Al Ahly pundit Ahmed Shobier who confirmed that the club have not been happy with the way that Mosimane conducted himself.
“Al Ahly are angry at Mosimane after his recent statements in the press conference that followed the Arab Contractors match, when he revealed the details of his negotiations with the board regarding his contract negotiations. It was decided to remain silent and postpone the decision to extend Mosimane’s contract until after the Club World Cup. Mosimane is against this idea and is putting pressure on the board to make the decision as he has other offers,” he said.
Al Ahly may be the most decorated club in African football but they are not exactly known to keep coaches for long. In the last decade alone, the club had no fewer than 13 full-time coaches with not one managing to last more than two years. Should Mosimane remain with the club beyond September, he will be the first Al Ahly coach in more than a decade to remain at the club for more than two years.
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If one thing is certain, Mosimane must not return to South African football. With five South African domestic league titles to his name, he has already won virtually everything that there is to win in South African football.
If he does return to South African football, it should ideally be at the tail end of his career when he is on the verge of retiring and not while he is still at the prime of his powers as a tactician at the age of 57.
Mosimane will not be short of options should he leave Al Ahly, inside and outside South Africa and the latest news reports have linked him with moves to Qatar and even the much-coveted Senegal national team job.
South African players let alone coaches have struggled to make strong marks outside their homeland in recent years and as one of the finest tacticians in the African game, Mosimane must continue to fly the South African flag high after his term with Al Ahly ends which history suggests could be soon.
@EshlinV