Everything you need to know about Pitso Mosimane’s new club Al Ahli Saudi
Saudi Arabia’s first division club, Al Ahli Saudi, on Sunday, announced that Pitso Mosimane was the new man in charge.
They recently parted ways with Uruguayan Robert Dante Siboldi after he failed to save them from relegation.
This season, they have played five games, winning two, drawing two and losing one. It leaves them in seventh place in the 18-team league.
FARPost has gathered a few things you need to know about the club.
THE RICH HISTORY
Founded on March 17, 1937, Al Ahli Saudi is a multisport club housing different sports codes, including basketball and volleyball. The club is based in the city of Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia, hence the name Al Ahli Jeddah.
Popularly known as The Greens, the club’s colours are green and white. They are credited for establishing the first football academy in Saudi Arabia.
The family of Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud [King of Saudi from 1964 to 1975] was reportedly involved in the formative stages of the club.
His late son, Prince Abdullah Al Faisal, once the club’s president, signed world football stars and coaches.
Didi [Waldyr Pereira], considered one of the best footballers of all time, became the first Brazilian to coach a Saudi club. Tele Santana, Brazil’s mentor in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, also had a stint with them.
Al Ahli’s home games are played at King Abdullah Sports City, also known as the KASC Stadium. The stadium, shared with long-lasting city rivals Al Ittihad is the second-largest in Asia’s fifth-largest country, with a total capacity of over 62,000.
CUP RECORD
The year 2016 was their most successful season as they won a treble. They won the league title, the King’s Cup and the Super Cup.
On the domestic scene, they have won three Saudi Professional League titles and hold the record for the King’s Cup after winning it 13 times.
In addition, they also won six Crown Prince Cups, the General League Shield and Super Cup.
Internationally, they have won the Gulf Cup for Clubs [Champions League] three times and the Arab Club Championship.
Until the 2021/22 season, they were one of the four founding members of the Saudi Pro League that had never been relegated alongside Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Nassr.
HIGH COACH TURNOVER
Mosimane is the third man to take charge of the club in 2022. He replaces Uruguayan mentor Robert Dante Siboldi who joined the club in March. He took over from Kosovan coach Besnik Hasi, who was axed after nine months in charge.
Siboldi was tasked to save the team from relegation with seven matches left before the end of the season. However, Siboldi could not save the club from relegation, missing out by just a point.
Al Ahli, desperate for a win to survive the chop, drew against Al Shabab on the last day of the league and could not avoid losing the category in Saudi Arabia.
Interestingly, between February 2019 and now, they have had 12 coaches [including four caretaker spells].
SQUAD COMPOSITION
While most of their players are Saudi nationals, they are also home to Brazilian Danclair Pereira, Croatian Philip Bradaric and Omar Al-Soma of Syria.
Hamdi Al-Naqaz of Tunisia and Senegal’s Hassan Nadaw are the only Africans.
The club’s most famous Saudi players are Taisir Al-Jassim, Khalid Massad, Amin Dabo, Mohamed Abd Al-Jawad, Malek Mouath and Yasser Al Mosailem.