Former Al Ahly assistant coach Cavin Johnson has weighed in on the sacking of Jose Riveiro, revealing that the Spanish mentor should have sought advice from Pitso Mosimane.
Due to a string of unsatisfactory results, including a 2-0 defeat to rivals Pyramids FC on Saturday, Egyptian Premier League champions Al Ahly announced they have terminated coach Riveiro’s contract. The Spanish coach’s departure comes just three months into his two-year deal and after only seven matches in charge of Al Ahy.
The highly-rated coach replaced Marcel Koller, who was fired towards the end of last season after crashing out of the CAF Champions League, where they were defeated by Mamelodi Sundowns in the two-legged semi-final.
Meanwhile, Riveiro arrived at the Red Devils to take over the coaching job following the expiry of his contract at Orlando Pirates. The 49-year-old tactician made a name for himself at Pirates after an impressive run of form that saw the Soweto giants clinch five domestic trophies during his tenure.
Pirates won three successive MTN8 trophies and two Nedbank Cup titles in a space of three years. His great work with the Sea Robbers earned him a move to Al Ahly; however, he was relieved of his duties only a few matches into the new season.
WHAT CAVIN JOHNSON SAID ABOUT RIVEIRO’S EXIT AT AL AHLY
After Riveiro’s abrupt departure, Cavin Johnson, who worked as an assistant coach to Mosimane at Ahly, says Riveiro should have called the former Sundowns coach to understand what the job entails.
The former Bafana Bafana coach, Mosimane, had a successful spell with the Egyptian giants after winning two CAF Champions League titles between 2020 and 2022.
“Before he [Riveiro] went there, Ahly didn’t win the Champions League, so going to that team is always difficult,” Johnson told FARPost.
“You must play Champions League every season and play to win it, and also, you cannot lose to a team like Pyramids FC because that team is not even 10 years old.
“There is always pressure to win everything in that club, but I think when we were there, Pitso managed that very well because he came with his whole technical team. I don’t think Riveiro went with anyone, which can be a problem.
“So the best thing that Riveiro should have done is to call Pitso Mosimane to understand what he’s getting himself into. Coaching Al Ahly is not like coaching Pirates, yes Pirates is a big team, but Al Ahly is a club of a century, those things matter.”
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