Although Pitso Mosimane has built his career on reawakening sleeping football giants, accepting the Al Ahli Jeddah job in Saudi Arabia is a huge risk for him and his technical team, said the former Bafana Bafana and Al Ahly coach.
Al Ahli Jeddah, the former glamour club, has been relegated to the first division and Mosimane’s mandate is to revive the fallen giants and promote them back to the premier division.
Mosimane and his three musketeers – Kabelo Rangoaga, Musi Matlaba and Kyle Solomon – leave the country on Sunday for their first match in Saudi Arabia against Jeddah Club on Wednesday.
“I have built my career on waking up sleeping giants. This is a big risk, but a very good risk. I have never arrived at a club where everything was 100% all right,” said Mosimane.
“All the clubs that I have coached, we have changed the status quo. I found Mamelodi Sundowns on position 14 in the PSL [Premier Soccer League log] and it took us many years to win a trophy.
“SuperSport United were struggling when I joined them. But we built the club and we were in six consecutive cup finals. We won two trophies and lost four. So, I believe I can wake up this sleeping giant in Saudi Arabia.
“When we were in Egypt [Al Ahly], we had to make sure that we turn the international programme around and get the club back to the CAF Champions League, the Fifa Club World Cup, and also the CAF Super Cup.
“I told my agents, MT Sport Management, that they must hand-pick a project that would take us out of our comfort zone. We had to go through three offers and we looked at that league and the expectations.
“I think this is very challenging and we want to take our legacy to that space, in the Middle East, and make history,” Mosimane said.
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