By Velile Mnyandu
Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane says he is happy and the club are equally happy following the conclusion of the talks and the signing of the new contract on Wednesday morning.
Mosimane who was speaking to iDiski Times during the arrival of Ahly at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park ahead of the CAF Champions’ League Group A match against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, expressing his happiness on having finalized the deal that will keep him at Ahly for the next two years until 2023/2024 season.
Counting a total of five trophies, including back to back CAFCL titles and two bronze medals at the FIFA Club World Cup, since his arrival at the Red Devils in September 2020, Mosimane has also been clear that he can only be judged by the results and nothing else.
“I signed the contract in the early hours of the morning, so you get to understand how everything is being loaded. So that was good, we will be here for the next two and a half years,” Mosimane told iDiski Times.
“But you know, contracts are contracts, the duration of the contract doesn’t say you’re gonna stay until then, if you keep winning, of course. But if you don’t win, the contract is different.
“In a contract it is just good for the disputes in case we divorce, then we go to the paper but the contract is on the pitch.”
The former Mamelodi Sundowns head coach’s new deal at Ahly is reported to be between R2.5 million and R2.8 million a week and also a huge jump to his first contract in 2020.
It was not a smooth sailing negotiations process though, having gone close to 10 months to finalise the deal.
“We have just been back and forth, we all know about it. But at the end, the team is happy. And I’m happy. And that’s more important, and also you appreciate the opportunity to coach Al Ahly,” he explained.
“This is not just a contract. This is a contract for a team that plays all the tournaments in the continent up till the end. So where do you want to go? If you don’t stay there, you know, unless you move over the borders.”
Mosimane and his team will be back in action on Saturday, when they take on Sundowns in a much-anticipated CAFCL encounter at the FNB Stadium.
