Al Ahly are “angry” at Pitso Mosimane after his recent comments about the difficult contract negotiations, club legend Ahmed Shobier has claimed.
‘Jingles’ and the Egyptian giants are seemingly again locked on contract talks and the south African coach put pressure on the club after his side’s recent games, saying he would like the situation resolved before the Club World Cup (starting on 3 February).
After the latest 1-1 draw against Arab Contractors, Mosimane revealed that he feels the negotiations, which started around the CAF Champions League final against Kaizer Chiefs, have been dragging on for too long and he wants stability and appreciation for work at the club.
Mosimane has lifted five trophies since arriving in Cairo, including back-to-back CAF Champions League titles, insisting money is not the issue, but his camp and the club have so far not agreed on a few other points.
Shobier has now stated that the club were little impressed with Mosimane’s public comments about the negotiations.
“Al Ahly are angry at Mosimane after his recent statements in the press conference that followed the Arab Contractors match, when he revealed all the details of his negotiations with the board regarding his contract negotiations,” Shobier said on ONTime Sport FM, as cited by Kingfut.
“The Al Ahly board discussed the crisis in their last meeting, and it was decided to remain silent and postpone the decision to extend Mosimane’s contract until after the Club World Cup. Mosimane is against this idea and is putting pressure on the board to make the decision as he has other offers and hopes to make a decision soon.
“Al Ahly are confused and wants to wait for the results of the Club World Cup and the league to determine their final decision, especially since the team lost the Super and the League in a very strange manner under Mosimane, despite winning the African titles.”
Shobier also stated he believes Mosimane wants clarity before the Club World Cup because he has other lucrative offers – even though his first choice is always Al Ahly.
“Mosimane claims to have offers from African national teams like Senegal, for example, and he wants to give them an answer,” he continued.
“Mosimane enjoys his life in Egypt and likes the stardom that comes with coaching Al Ahly. He sees that his successes with the team should’ve pushed the board to hand him a six-year contract. He’s surprised how they are still discussing the idea of extending his contract or not.
“Mosimane says that there is a dispute between Amir Tawfik and Moira, his wife and agent, and this is not true because Amir Tawfik is negotiating with her based on clear instructions from the Supervisor of the Football Sector.
“It’s certain that Al Ahly is currently not extending Mosimane’s contract until the end of the World Cup, and Mosimane doesn’t want to wait.”
Al Ahly return to action on Thursday, 27 January, when they will face Smouha in the League Cup.
