Sleeping Egyptian Premier League giants Al Ahly have shown coach Pitso Mosimane’s successor the exit door barely after three months.
Al Ahly have confirmed the dismissal of Ricardo Soares hours after the Egyptian Premier League wound up on Tuesday.
“Al Ahly board has relieved Ricardo Soares from his duties as the manager of our first team. The club would like to thank Soares and his assistants for their service to the club and we wish them all the best in the future,” a statement from the club reads.
The Portuguese mentor led Reds to an emphatic 4-0 win over Cleopatra FC on Tuesday to wind up the season after having replaced Mosimane in June this.
Mosimane bowed out of Al Ahly citing pressure of work, saying he wanted to go on a sabbatical to recharge.
The Egyptian powerhouse reacted by hiring highly-rated Soares, hoping he could revive the team’s fortunes and salvage something from the season by winning the league title.
However, results did not improve as Zamalek cruised away with the title defence leaving Al Ahly to finish on third place.
Zamalek rubbed salt on the rivals wounds by beating them 2-1 in the Egyptian Cup final.
It is the first time the Reds have finished the season outside the top-two positions on the Egyptian Premier League log table since 1992.
The poor domestic league performance cast doubt on the future of Soares.
Soares echoed his predecessor Mosimane’s remarks that the team struggled due to injuries and fatigue of regular players.
Ultimately, the Portuguese coach has paid the ultimate price after winning nine out of 17 games in charge of the Reds.
