Did Jingles’ achievements at Mamelodi Sundowns matter for Red Devils fans when he moved to Egypt?
Pitso Mosimane has made history and already enjoyed success since joining Egyptian giants Al-Ahly last season.
The head coach enjoyed great success in South Africa, but how much did those previous achievements matter to fans of his new club?
This was the hot topic on the agenda in the African Football HQ podcast this week, as Malek Shafei gave Ed Dove some insight on the Egyptian point of view on Mosimane’s historic appointment.
The 56-year-old has achieved legendary status in South Africa due to his achievements, accolades and accomplishments.
Following a modest playing career, Mosimane went on to achieve immense success as a manager, first with SuperSport United and subsequently with Sundowns.
With the Brazilians, Mosimane clinched five domestic titles between 2014 and 2020, establishing Sundowns as South Africa’s dominant club, and also won both the Nedbank Cup and the Telkom Knockout.
Critically, he also guided Sundowns to the Caf Champions League title—only the second South African side to win Africa’s top prize—as they conquered the continent in 2016.
That was followed up by the Caf Super Cup in 2017, while Mosimane’s time at Sundowns resulted in five PSL Coach of the Season awards.
According to Shafei, however, this all mattered little to Ahly fans. Instead, it was Sundowns’ 5-1 victory over the Red Devils in the 2018-19 Champions League which ensured he received a warm welcome when he became the Egyptians’ first black sub-Saharan African head coach in their 113-year history.
Since arriving in Cairo, Mosimane has maintained Ahly’s success, overseeing an extensive undefeated run at the club before they were eventually beaten by Bayern Munich in the Club World Cup.
He clinched the Egyptian Premier League, the Egyptian Cup and the Caf Champions League—with Ahly defeating eternal rivals SC Zamalek in the final—last term, and also finished third in the CWC.
While Ahly recently suffered a shock defeat by Tanzania’s Simba in the Caf CL last month, Mosimane had accrued sufficient credit with the club’s fans to fend off any backlash.
Ahly fans are certainly enamoured by their new head coach, even if his achievements in the PSL have little bearing on their admiration.