Pitso Mosimane is stead-fastly standing his ground, saying he did not kill Percy Tau’s career by taking him to Al Ahly and then deserting him after he resigned.
Since Mosimane resigned as Al Ahly coach in June, nearly two years since taking over in October 2020, Tau has been criticised, and there were even reports that he was going to be put on transfer or sold by the African Club of the Century.
Jingles, as Mosimane is popularly known in football circles, took Tau to Ahly from English Premiership club Brighton & Hove Albion, where the former PSL Player of the Season was struggling to win a place in the starting line-up.
“Percy’s coach at Brighton felt that he could not make the team. I told Percy that there’s La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, and if you can have something there, why would you want to come here? Or maybe stay there. But if you do not have anything, at least here you will play in the Fifa Club World Cup with me here at Ahly,” said Mosimane, the former Bafana Bafana, SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns coach.
“People say I killed his career, no ways. I spoke to him, and Percy is smart and he looks after himself.
“He is not a guy who kills his career off the field.
“I spoke to him and his agent and told them I was just a phone call away.
“I feel sad that I left him there, but I left him in a very big club.
“My involvement and me being there was a different story, now I am not sure, I do not know, and we cannot hide it that it’s different when I am not there.
“I also have to do what I have to do for myself. My conscience is clear and clean.”
According to media reports in Cairo, Al Ahly legend Shady Mohamed has called for the Cairo-based club to sell Tau and Mozambican international Luis Miquissone.
He said the two were not good enough for Ahly.
“Ziad Tarek is better than both Percy Tau and Luis Miquissone. I believe he should become a starter for the first team,” Shady was quoted as saying.
Another former Ahly star, Taha Ismail, also jumped onto the bandwagon, criticising Tau. The club seems to be supporting Tau’s stay and has kept mum regarding the legends’ criticism of Tau as not good enough to play for the Red Devils.
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