JOHANNESBURG – Stepping into Cairo for South African clubs used to be a lot like entering Dante’s hell with the inscription, “abandon all hope ye who enter here”.
The Red Devils of Al Ahly were the main reason for that, denying the big three continental dominance.
Al Ahly beat Kaizer Chiefs in the 2002 CAF Super Cup, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in the 2001 and 2013 CAF Champions League final.
But the Egyptian capital is more welcoming after Sundowns and Pirates tamed their giants, even though they did that outside Cairo.
The Brazilians stunned Zamalek to lift the Champions League last year in Alexandria, while the Buccaneers gave Al Ahly their first loss in over a decade at home in the Champions League in 2013 in El-Gouna.
Pirates defeated Al Ahly again in the semi-final of the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup.
Bidvest Wits will look to continue on that path on Saturday afternoon in the first leg of the Champions League first round at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo against the mighty Al Ahly.
The last South African coach to beat Al Ahly in the Champions League, Roger de Sa, believes the right mentality is key in defeating Al Ahly in their own backyard.
“We told ourselves that we have nothing to lose,” De Sa said about Pirates’ 3-0 win over Al Ahly in El-Gouna.
“We just went there to have fun and took the game to them. They had a very good squad, with talented and experienced players like Mohamed Aboutrika and Wael Gomaa.
“This current team is relatively young. They are in a rebuilding phase. We took our chance and after going 2-0 up, we controlled the match. We also had a united group of players who weren’t easily intimidated.”
The Clever Boys can beat Al Ahly because they are in a transition phase and the Egyptian giants are there for the taking in the early stages of the tournament.
They are a different beast when the stakes are high, which Pirates learned the hard way in the final of the Champions League.
But what could count against Wits is which team they will field, as they have to go to Cape Town from Cairo after this match for the Nedbank Cup on Wednesday.
If they are concerned about fixture congestion, then Wits ought to beat Al Ahly and book a place in the group stage because if they don’t, they will have to play two more games in the Confederation Cup playoffs that they will be demoted to should they lose.
Al Ahly recently fined captain Hossam Ghaly and Ahmed Fathi after a bust-up at training. But that hasn’t had an effect on their domestic campaign as they sit at the summit after 20 games with a seven-point lead.
“I still get calls from Egyptian media because of that win. It's something that will stay with me for a long time,” De Sa said.
“To beat Al Ahly in Egypt, you must know that football is just a small part of it. There are a lot of factors at play. You must be strong mentally and be confident in your abilities.
“This is an experience that brings the team together, from the hours spent flying and in airports to being in a foreign country where you can only depend on each other. It makes your team stronger.
“You must be prepared for anything, an intimidating atmosphere, one-sided officiating and lasers. But it can be done.”