Durban - Roger De Sa has said that he was surprised by the departure of Pitso Mosimane from Al Ahly. The South African ended his 20 month spell at the helm of the Egyptian giants earlier in the week.
Al Ahly’s CAF Champions League final defeat against Wydad Casablanca last month proved to be the final game for Mosimane as Al Ahly boss. The result prevented the club and coach from winning three consecutive CAF Champions League titles.
“Mosimane’s departure from Al Ahly is a surprise. He is the best coach in Africa. I think that the Wydad Casablanca defeat was the reason behind his decision,” said De Sa.
Like Mosimane, De Sa is no stranger to working in Egypt. The former Orlando Pirates and Ajax Cape Town coach served as assistant to Carlos Quieroz at the helm of the Egypt national team.
De Sa was in the Egyptian technical team as Egypt lost the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final against Senegal earlier in the year. Quieroz vacated his position after Egypt failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup following their defeat in the final round against Senegal.
Meanwhile, former Al Ahly and Egyptian national team star Mohamed Nagy Geddo has said that he believes that Mosimane actually left Al Ahly at the right time. Geddo felt that morale and trust towards the 57-year-old from within the team had dipped during his final few games in charge.
“The relationship between Mosimane and the Al Ahly board reached its limits. Mosimane thought that Al Ahly was like Sundowns. He thought people would not criticise him if he won trophies.
“He also lost the locker room and players’ support after criticising them publicly like Mohamed Sherif and Hossam Hassan. Al Ahly has been struggling with Mosimane in the recent games. It was his worst period with the team. I believe he chose the right time to leave,” said Geddo.
Mosimane’s departure from Al Ahly has also led to speculation surrounding the future of Percy Tau at the club. Like Mosimane, Tau has also received criticism in recent weeks particularly after he failed to impress in the Champions League final against Wydad.
Mosimane is currently being linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.