The 56-year-old insists that being the Red Devils mentor does not mean the team is automatically the winners of every game
Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane has hit back at Al Ittihad of Alexandria assistant coach Ibrahim Hassan after his criticism of the South African tactician.
Hassan stated that coaching Al Ahly is an easy job and Mosimane would struggle by lasting just two games if he took charge of any other Egyptian Premier League side.
This came after Mosimane led Al Ahly to a 4-0 win over Al Ittihad in a league game on Monday as the Kagiso-born mentor returned to the dugout after recovering from coronavirus.
It was the Mosimane’s second win over Al Ittihad after Al Ahly eliminated the Alexandria-based side from the Egyptian Cup earlier this month.
Mosimane took Hassan’s opinion in his stride and explained that the success he has enjoyed at the Red Devils has come through hard work.
“I respect his [Ibrahim Hassan’s] opinion,” Mosimane said on King Fut.
“Maybe his statements suit clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City as well, but I know that football does not work like that.”
Mosimane hit the ground running at Al Ahly when he joined the club after resigning as Mamelodi Sundowns head coach at the end of September 2020.
The 2016 Caf Coach of the Year guided the Red Devils to the Caf Champions League and Egyptian Cup which saw the Cairo-based giants complete a treble in the 2019/20 season.
The Red Devils had clinched the 2019/20 Egyptian Premier League title under Swiss coach Rene Weiler and Mosimane was in charge of the last seven games in the competition.
“If it was like that so why didn’t Al Ahly win the Champions League in the past seven years?” Mosimane asked.
“Being Al Ahly doesn’t mean we are automatically the winners of every game. We have to prepare for games and work hard to win.”
Ibrahim Hassan’s twin brother and Ittihad head coach, Hossam Hassan, praised Mosimane earlier this month, saying he is a coach of a high calibre.
Mosimane is yet to lose a game as Al Ahly coach having taken charge of 14 games across all competitions – winning 13 while drawing one with 10 men against Pyramids FC.
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