The Head of State believes the tactician is inspiring others to achieve greater heights
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane for his achievements in football on the African continent.
On Friday, the former Mamelodi Sundowns tactician led the Red Devils to the Caf Super Cup title after a 2-0 win over RS Berkane.
Two second-half goals from Mohamed Sherif and Salah Mohsen inspired the Egyptian champions to a well-deserved victory over their Moroccan opponents at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
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It was Mosimane’s fourth trophy with the Egyptian side, and the Head of State believes the work done by the former Bafana Bafana coach is uniting people from diverse backgrounds and hailed him as a fantastic representative of the country.
“Pitso Mosimane is an outstanding flag-bearer for our country and for football,” Ramaphosa stated.
“His outstanding performance and that of his club show what is possible when talent moves freely around our continent to unite people from diverse backgrounds and national origin and inspire them to achieve extraordinary things.”
This comes a day after the Al Ahly coach stated he is not being appreciated in South Africa.
“I believe if you focus on winning games, the outcome will sort itself out but I do feel good to be part of contributing to Africa and I feel good to be appreciated, unlike what happened to me in my own country,” the 56-year-old said.
“The last week has been too emotional for me, to be honest. But I don’t blame anybody. I have to blame the system that we come from.
“Some people say if you want to set up a black man to fail, you must use a black man to destroy him.”
The former Masandawana coach has further stated the best way to answer his critics is by ensuring he does his job well and continue to lift trophies.
“For me, it’s not about talking, it’s about… this is how you reply in football – you reply by lifting trophies, not talking about what happened last week,” Mosimane continued.
“Let the work speak for yourself. I’m too mature and I move on. The only way is to congratulate everyone associated with Al Ahly, congratulate the team and everyone who is associated with me.”
