Al Ahly legend says axed coach not at Pitso Mosimane’s level
Al Ahly legend Hamada Sedki has said he was not surprised that Pitso Mosimane’s successor at the Egyptian club did not deliver the goods.
Sedki said the Portuguese coach Ricardo Soares was not at the level of the South African in terms of coaching pedigree.
The club’s former star said this after Al Ahly axed Soares on Tuesday.
Sedki told the FilGoal website of Egypt that it was clear from the onset that Soares did not have the resume of the level of Mosimane, let alone the South African’s predecessor Rene Weiler.
“His biography was weak compared to those who preceded him, such as Pitso Mosimane and Rene Weiler, who won championships with clubs before. Soares’ period with Al Ahly cannot be considered an experience in the understandable sense,” he said.
Sedki, who played as a defender for the former CAF Champions League champions from 1986 to 1993, said it was difficult for Soares to deliver the good because he found Al Ahly struggling.
“He worked in difficult circumstances that make it unfair to judge his term. His appointment from the beginning was not a successful decision,” he said.
“His departure was very necessary because he did not have acceptance from the beginning and did not achieve what would make the fans accept his continuation, and with the pressure, the losses would have become greater.”
Sedki, who is now a coach in Egypt, has since urged Al Ahly management to go for a coach with a proven track record as Soares’ replacement.
The Portuguese replaced Mosimane in June this year and struggled, losing the Egyptian Cup to Zamalek in the final and then failing to snatch the domestic league title from the rivals.
Soares presided over nine wins, five draws and three defeats in 17 games in charge of Al Ahly, who finished the just-ended season in third place, the first time the club occupied a position outside the top-two band since 1992.
Former Bafana Bafana and Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz, ex-Morocco mentor Wahid Halilhodzic and Greek club PAOK trainer Razavan Lucescu have since been cited as possible candidates for the Al Ahly job.
Meanwhile, reports continue to link the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane with a return to the Reds’’ hot seat even though he insists he has moved on.