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“The decision has two sides, the first is that I am not happy to leave the club that I love and have been with it for eight years, and the other side is that this is a great opportunity for which I am grateful and to be part of a great club , I don’t know which part to choose “, Petso Mosimane, Al-Ahly’s new coach.
Al-Ahly officially announced today, Thursday, the contract with Musimani of Mamelodi Sundowns, on a two-year deal, to succeed Renee Fyler.
Musimani had a different dialogue with the South African site “Shoot Online” before traveling to Egypt to take over the duties of Al-Ahly.
Musimani began his dialogue by saying, “I renewed my contract with Sundowns four years ago, and the decade of the new season was supposed to begin, but due to the circumstances of the Corona virus outbreak, there was an overlap between the contracts.”
He continued: “Maybe if it hadn’t been for the Corona virus, Al-Ahly’s offer would have come before my renewal with Sundowns, but this is not the case, when I renewed my contract, I wanted to stay with the team I love.”
Before he even added: “But this is football that changes and I had a great opportunity.”
He explained: “Sometimes I don’t feel serious offers and it’s just talking, but this time the conversation was that we will send the contract if I was happy, I felt it was a great opportunity and Al-Ahly’s identity influenced my decision.”
“I also wanted to get out of my comfort zone and show the South African coaches that we can all train outside our country and in a great league on the African continent,” he added.
And he added: “This experience is like training Real Madrid or Barcelona in Europe, or Flamengo or Santos or River Plate or Boca Juniors in South America, the matter is that great.”
Musimane emphasized: “Of course there is a lot at stake in those clubs, and if we look at the coaching history with them, there is no coach who stays for long, but before taking over at Sundowns, the same thing happened at the club. But look what happened, I’ve been with the club for almost eight years. “
He continued: “You have to go and believe in your ability to generate change. I know well the competitions that Al-Ahly participates in and how strong he is in the Egyptian League and the African Champions League. I do not know his numbers in the Arab Championship. But it’s the Century Club in Africa and everyone knows it well and knows how many times they won the league. ” And the Champions League. “
“I think any local South African coach can go to train at that level,” he added.
Why am I afraid to train Al-Ahly?
On the fear of training Al-Ahly, the 56-year-old said: “Al-Ahly used to train him for my family and he is from South America, but when I faced him, he prepared his team in the old fashioned way, analyzed his method and won”.
“I have faced coaches from Europe in South Africa, and you actually see that with match analysis and work, you find yourself capable of facing these coaches, and I am not far from them on a technical level,” he said.
He continued: “I think if I do my job well, everything will be fine. It is not about bravery. I have faced Al-Ahly and Zamalek several times, and these are the clubs that dominate the African continent.”
“Why should I fear? I have faced these clubs before,” he said.
He stressed that “I believe that if you can write an article for a local newspaper, you can write another article anywhere as long as you are fluent in the language.”
The role of luck in the formation of Al-Ahly
And on whether he saw the opportunity to coach Al-Ahly, Musimane replied: “I really didn’t see it. The coach who was training the team, that is, Rene Fyler, was doing well and lost only once or twice.”
He continued: “On the other hand, Carteron left Zamalek, perhaps here an opportunity appeared, but in Al-Ahly I did not see this happen, but the circumstances of the Corona virus arrived.”
He added: “They told me that the Al-Ahly manager does not want to renew his contract after its termination, and I think he came to him with an offer from Europe and he wanted to accept it, and from here I had my chance.”
He added: “I will not say luck, I do not know, but Al-Ahly did not go to an unknown coach. Rather, a coach who knows well and knows the African Champions League well, and this tournament is a great goal for the club”.
He continued: “Al-Ahly believe they have a good team and won the league weeks before the end of the competition. I suppose if he left Sundowns training, they would have said we want a coach who knows the Champions League well.”
He continued: “I think sometimes we are lucky but Al-Ahly knows me and I have a lot of information about the team.
When asked about being the first coach on the African continent to coach Al-Ahly and what that means to him, he said: “It means a lot to me.”
He continued: “I said to myself:” Who do you think you are? Who I am? “
Talk to Micho
When asked about the length of the contract, he replied: “It will last two years.”
And if you are concerned about that short period, Musimani said: “It is not important for the contract period, but I do it well. There are a lot of coaches who get a five-year contract and then leave.”
He added: “As for me, if you do a good job, I will renew my contract. You lead your luck and the product of your work keeps you in your place.”
He explained: “I coached two teams in South Africa, Super Sport United and Mamelodi Sundowns. I don’t move between clubs a lot. Maybe I feel loyal to my team or this is the right thing to do, but I’m not worried about the length of the contract with Al-Ahly. , and I know the history of the club well. “
Musimani revealed his conversation with former Zamalek coach Micho to his former coach Orlando Pirates in South Africa prior to Al-Ahly training, saying: “Micho told me about the opportunity to coach Al-Ahly.”
Musimani completed his long dialogue, “Micho encouraged and motivated me and told me not to think twice and take the opportunity, and that if everything goes well there is nothing to lose, but you will gain a lot.”
