Mosimane rolls back on mission to sink Sundowns
Downs and Al Ahly in dream game
Pitso Mosimane will be coming to South Africa for the first time since he joined Egyptian giants Al Ahly last October. Mosimane’s all-conquering powerhouse has been drawn to face his former club Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League.
South African football followers are already salivating and cannot wait for the first whistle to get the match under way. The former Supersport United and Bafana Bafana coach built the Brazilians into a formidable and respected outfit on the continent since he took over the coaching reins in 2012.
They won the CAF Champions League star in 2016 and have continued to dominate the PSL. At the end of last season, they pipped Kaizer Chiefs – who led the league table standing from the first match – in the final day of the fixtures. Mosimane was given god-like status by the Sundowns supporters.
But Mosimane shook the entire country when he resigned from the Brazilians and announced that he was undertaking the biggest assignment and challenge of his life by joining the biggest club on the continent, Al Ahly.
After taking over, he continued to break records with the Red Devils. They also played in the Fifa Club World Cup, where they were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the semifinals. The first leg will be on the weekend of May 14-16, with the return fixture two weeks later.
Mosimane will face his former assistants, Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena, who are now calling the shots as head coaches at Sundowns. They have beefed up the coaching bench by roping in Steve Komphela.
Soccer followers have been dreaming about this fixture. On the Ahly side, Mosimane roped in Cavin Johnson, Kabelo Rangoaga and Musi Matlaba as part of his technical team, and so, it will be a South African affair on the two benches. Sundowns cocoach Rhulani Mokwena said: “Al Ahly have the pressure to defend the trophy and to get to the final. It’s a very competitive draw against a very good side and someone with a very good coach - someone we have a lot of respect for the role he played in my coaching career as a leader and mentor.
“We are looking forward to the challenge, it’s going to be an exciting match. It’s a draw that we knew who was possibly lined up to be drawn up against. We have to be strong and be at our best level. The ultimate goal is to push to win all trophies and we have to be competitive to keep the Yellow Nation as happy. The pressure belongs to a chosen few, we can handle the pressure.”