On Monday evening South African born, Pitso Mosimane, made history by leading his charges, Al Ahly, the Champions of Africa, against the highly fancied Champions of Europe, Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup. Unsurprisingly, this was a match that elicited a lot of interest amongst ardent soccer fans throughout Africa. Unfortunately, the result did not have the ‘David vs Goliath’ result everyone was hoping for. Contrary to expectations, history wasn’t made, as Bayern had that cutting edge in them – as they have always proven at the top level – to overpower dogged resistance the African soccer champions offered.
Pitifully, soon after the match, swiftly, some lounge room, couch-confined soccer ‘experts’ awash on social media platforms have been dwelling on Pitso’s first loss, putting a wager on him facing the dreaded sack soon as the manager of Africa’s most decorated soccer outfit. This is not surprising. The ‘experts’, afflicted by a chronic version of ‘Pull Him Down Syndrome’, derive pleasure at the failures than successes of their own.
However, even the most hardnosed naysayers cannot belittle the dizzying heights Pitso has scaled. He has elevated the benchmark for South Africans soccer coaches to dare to dream and chase to realise. No easy task.
In a nutshell, there are three main elements that South Africans – indeed people in Southern Africa – can draw from Pitso.
- Seize the opportunity and make the most of it
Opportunity does not always come many times, so when it does seize and never let go of it.
When presented with an improved contract and more or less the guarantee of returning the domestic league in South Africa, which has virtually turned into a one-horse race, and an offer to manage Al Ahly, Mosimane did not think twice to opt for the later.
2. Leave the comfort zone, it’s nothing but a zone of stagnation
His Mamelodi Sundowns team would have easily strolled to ten more titles on the trot, facing no credible competition from neither Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. Seemingly, Mamelodi Sundowns have something in them nearest rivals don’t, thanks to the champion DNA Pitso instilled in the team’s ethos.
However, instead of content with the relatively easy pickings of the South African soccer scene, Mosimane took the plunge to tread where angels fear to. In no doubt, there is no task in modern football as stressing as managing Al Ahly, a team with extremely impatient millions of boisterous faithful who have no tolerance for seeing their team finishing second-best. Mosimane knows this and has embraced it, “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it is as difficult as making sandwiches for a Sunday picnic.”
3. You can’t argue with Merit
For the management of Al Ahly to cherrypick Pitso out of dozens of decorated coaches worldwide, following a rigorous process, they must have seen something unique. If it was an appointment of a soccer team in South Africa it would have been dismissed as an employment equity tokenism. However, Al Ahly are under no any obligation whatsoever to fill a quota of appointments of a certain hue of people. You have to be the cream of the crop and really so.
The high turnover of managers at the club can only be rivalled by Roman Abrahomovic’s Chelsea team, which has averaged a manager a year in the past 17 years. But that speaks volumes why, Ahly’s board room, like Chelsea’s has been trophy laden.
Knowing his character and outlook on life, one would say Pitso’s stint at the upper echelons of elite soccer management has only begun. Al Ahly is only a stepping stone to bigger challenges. As the soccer management great Alex Ferguson once remarked, “Winning creates an obsession to want more of the same ..and you never stop..you still want more and more .” That said, Pitso is thick-skinned enough to know that pressure is the occupational hazard at the top level. There is pressure attached to the pleasure of winning.
