Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro has poured cold water over reports that he left the Soweto giants to be close to his family.
The Spaniard left Orlando Pirates shortly before the curtain came down on the 2024/25 campaign after signing for Egyptian giants Al Ahly on a two-year deal.
Speaking to Andile Ncube on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified With Andile, Riveiro set the record straight on why he opted to finally call time on his Bucs head coaching role.
“That was a little bit of a strange narrative about my decision,” he said on SNAWA.
“I’ve never said I’m going because of the distance, family things, and stuff like that. It was more about feeling that my time in the club was a really good one for all of us, and it was time for me, and I think it’s also positive for Pirates to continue in a different way, try to find a different challenge, and for the club to also find someone to continue the journey, to take the team to the next level as well.
“And for me to find a place where I can continue with my formation with the possibility to challenge myself in a different environment.
“[Al] Ahly is also a club that gives you the platform to continue growing and winning, and I think it’s a good step for me,” he added.
“It was by far the best option I had to continue with my development in the time that I had to make a decision, and that’s all, that’s all. In the end, the distance from your own country and from your family can be a problem, but it’s not the only one.
“I mean, in the end, in my position, when you think about taking your family with you, it is not an easy decision that is not related, trust me, to the distance. It’s more about our role in the club. The possibility that you change maybe your family life, but in the end, maybe after two months, you have to be back.
“So, I’m used to being alone. I’m used to being far from everything. I’m used to concentrating in my job, and that’s what I do, and that’s what I’m going to do here in Ahly as well.”
Riveiro is currently in the US with Al Ahly for the Club World Cup who will take on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Sunday, 15 June.
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