Former Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane has revisited Iqraam Rayners’ failed move to Saudi Pro League side Abha Club.
While at the helm of Abha between January and June 2024, the ex-Al Ahly coach was interested in having Rayners in the Middle East. But no transfer to the Persian Gulf materialised as the Bafana Bafana later joined Mamelodi Sundowns from Stellenbosch FC in August 2024.
Keen on having South African players consider the Middle East as a career destination, Mosimane turned to Rayners. Former Orlando Pirates winger Mohau Nkota and Elias Mokwana are South African players currently plying their trade in Saudi Arabia.
Nkota’s move to Al Ettifaq came as he was widely tipped to go to Europe, while Mokwana is on loan at Al Hazem from Tunisian giants Esperance. Both players have made it into Hugo Broos’ final squad for the 2025 AFCON finals, while Rayners was dropped from the preliminary selection.
MOSIMANE ADVOCATES FOR SAUDI MOVES, RECALLS RAYNERS LOST CHANCE
“Ngolo Kante is playing there, Cristiano Ronaldo, we can go on and on and name many players who play in the Gulf. Now, we have players in Saudi and then you can remember what I said that we have a Saudi product,” Mosimane said.
“When I was in Sasudi, I did everything I could to get South African players on board. There was a chance to bring Iqraam Rayners when he was at Stellenbosch. I believed that he could crack the market.
“Also, Stellenbosch are a very progressive team in terms of giving opportunities to players, but the challenge was that we couldn’t do it at the last minute because they couldn’t find a replacement and I understood.
“They didn’t have strikers. Yeah, was an opportunity lost for both him and myself also to bring a South African on board. But I don’t think it should end there, South African players can still go to the Gulf. The challenge is that it’s not easy.
“I think we should ask Orlando Pirates how they do it right and probably many teams can follow because they are doing well now.”
RELATED STORY: No Themba Zwane, no Rayners: Broos’ biggest AFCON omissions