All you need to know about Pitso Mosimane’s new home, Abha Club
Saudi Arabia’s Pro League club, Abha Club, on Thursday, confirmed that revered tactician Pitso Mosimane was the new man in charge.
This is his second gig in Saudi Arabia, having coached Al Ahli Saudi FC, leading them to promotion into the Pro League.
The former Bafana Bafana tactician went on to coach UAE outfit Al Wahda Football Club from June to November 2023. Significantly, he led Al Wahda Football Club to the Arab Club Champions Cup quarter-final stage in August 2023.
Having been linked to Kaizer Chiefs and Nigeria, Mosimane now takes over the struggling Abha Club.
So far, Abha Club are stuck in the murky waters of relegation after 19 matches in the Saudi Pro League.
They are 17th in the 18-team league, having won four times, drawing twice while losing on 13 occasions. The club last won a match on 4 November when they beat Al Akhdoud 3-2.
And Mosimane’s first assignment will be on 15 February, when they are scheduled to host Al-Taawoun FC. Here, FARPost has gathered a few things you need to know about the club.
THE CLUB’S HISTORY AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Abha Club was founded in 1945 and is one of the modest teams in the country. At the moment, they use the Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium as their home ground. The stadium has a seating capacity of 20,000.
They first gained promotion to the elite league in 2005 after finishing as runners-up in the First Division.
Sadly, they lasted for a single season in the topflight league as they went on to be relegated. But they clawed back into the topflight in 2008.
And having spent years without winning anything in Saudi Arabia, they won their first First Division title during the 2018/19 season. This also meant promotion to the Pro League for the third time in the club’s history. As it stands, thet are yet to win the Saudi Pro League title.
Previously, Abha Club won the Saudi Third Division title once during the 1998/99 season. And they also accounted for the Saudi Second Division title once during the 1999/2000 season.
Meanwhile, Cameroonian star Karl-Toko Ekambi, the club’s current top goalscorer, is one of the top players that would be under Mosimane.
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