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It’s largely impossible to feel indifference for Pitso Mosimane; a manager who either elicits strong adulation or fierce censure.
Despite the hurdles he has overcome or the plethora of breakthroughs, the unceasing fault-finding truly beggars belief. The South African is widely regarded as the finest manager his nation has ever produced, but the 56-year-old still isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
The attack and abuse he received on his return to old side Mamelodi Sundowns in May was astonishing, given his trophy-laden stint with the Brazilians.
11 trophies in just under eight years was an incredible feat, and the crowning moment in securing the club’s maiden Caf Champions League crown in 2016 remains unforgettable.
Success in that Zamalek tie was the second for any South African side — matching Orlando Pirates’ 1994 victory — but the first-ever recorded by any trainer from the country. It came against the White Knights, five-time winners, further demonstrating the height of Pitso’s achievement five years ago.
Understandably hurt by the violence intended to destabilise Al Ahly’s preparations and the scornfully abusive nature of supporters during the game, the subsequent half-baked apology by the club did little to calm the situation.
That quarter-final second-leg clash ended 1-1, but Mosimane and MT Sports Marketing and Management — the distinguished manager’s representatives — pulled no punches afterwards. The statement released via the latter condemned the behaviour of supporters and an unsatisfactory show of regret by Sundowns.
“As the management company of coach Pitso, we are disappointed that Mamelodi Sundowns FC have not apologised to him personally but issued a general statement apologising to Al Ahly ‘and those associated with the team‚’” read the statement as per Sowetan Live.
“This is not good enough. The insults were directed at coach Pitso in his personal capacity and to his mother. We hope that the entire Sundowns family will continue to look at the success of coach Pitso as something to celebrate, not vilify.”
The one-sided antipathy is hard to comprehend. Indeed, many will reckon Pitso’s strong response was par for the course.
A successive Champions League triumph with the Red Devils and third in total will be another feather in Jingles’ cap, as he’ll surpass a spate of two-time winners of Africa’s most illustrious club competition.
This will put him only one behind Manuel Jose, who claimed four titles with Al Ahly in the 2000s and secure the Egyptian giants’ 10th prize.
One would expect every supporter of the Red Devils to root for the man in charge in normal circumstances, but Mosimane continues to endure a complicated relationship with fans. They supposedly haven’t accepted him due to his African roots and their preference for local or foreign managers from Europe or South America has prompted some aversion and unwelcome vibe.
Ahly legend Ahmed Hassan denounced this sentiment recently, praising Pitso’s work and backed the experienced coach to win his fourth title since joining the club last year.
“Mosimane deserved the praise from the beginning. He’s a distinguished coach and a tactician at the highest level, and his problem is that he is African because the public and the media are used to foreigners,” Hassan remarked. “He achieved everything that was asked of him and the decision of him coaching Al Ahly was the correct one.”
On July 17’s final, Hassan remarked: “Kaizer Chiefs are an average team compared to Al Ahly, and Wydad dominated possession in the two matches, but Al Ahly need to make a lot of effort to win the tenth title.”
Despite the club legend’s confidence, there’s an obvious need for the Egyptian giants to stay on their toes against a hungry side chasing their maiden CL crown. Throw in the expected absences of six Ahly players likely to join Egypt’s Olympics team in Tokyo, and the path to glory becomes fraught with uncertainty.
“We are expecting a very difficult time after the Caf Champions League final," Mosimane told his club's official website via FourFourTwo. “We will miss six players who will participate in the Olympics. It is not easy to deal with the absence of six players in that stage of the season.”
Missing out will be Mohamed El-Shennawy, Ahmed Ramadan Beckham, Akram Tawfik, Nasser Maher, Taher Mohamed and Salah Mohsen, which obviously weakens the continent’s most successful club against the ambitious outfit from Soweto.
With Shawky Gharib’s young Pharaohs due to play Spain on July 22, five days after the final, any chance of the aforementioned featuring against Chiefs has to be beyond the bounds of possibility.
While Chiefs’ Nkosingiphile Ngcobo has been included in South Africa’s U-23 squad as well, SA coach David Notoane has revealed the midfielder will be granted special dispensation to join the group after facing the Egyptian giants.
Mosimane’s troops are unbeaten since suffering an unexpected 1-0 defeat by Simba in the early rounds of the group stage and Saturday’s final represents arguably the great coach’s toughest test in charge with a stretched squad.
Disappointment will undoubtedly provoke some schadenfreude by his detractors, but a third CL success increases the popularity of arguably Africa’s greatest tactician, especially due to the circumstances surrounding this particular final.
The censure may never be silenced totally, but Jingles will keep marching onwards no matter how Saturday's final plays out.
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