Al Ahly coach speaks about his continued omission of Percy Tau

Al Ahly coach Ricardo Soares has, for the first time, spoken out about his decision to continue relegating South African star Percy Tau to the periphery of the Egyptian team’s playing squad.

The Portuguese mentor has not featured the Bafana Bafana forward in three consecutive games since he returned to full training from an injury suffered in May this year.

In a post-match interview with the Cairo club’s website on Sunday, Soares sought to clear the mist surrounding the Bafana Bafana vice-captain, saying he was not be played simply for technical reasons.

“Percy Tau is not match fit yet; therefore, he was not selected for the game. We also have to keep in mind that we have a long list of injuries, which causes us to be cautious when making any decisions,” he said.

Soares spoke after Al Ahly huffed and puffed to a fruitless goalless draw with minnows Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC on Saturday in the Egyptian Premier League encounter.

The continued omission of the former Mamelodi Sundowns striker has raised doubts about his future with the Cairo club, where he was signed by former coach and compatriot Pitso Mosimane.

It was Soares’s second draw in charge of the team, with the rest of the results being four wins and two losses across all competitions.

The draw undermines Al Ahly’s chances of winning the league title as they lie third on the log table with a game in hand but are seven points behind rivals and leaders Zamalek.

Soares attributed the result to a jam of fixtures that gave his players no room to rest, thereby putting them at risk of injuries.

“I’m not going to give any detailed excuses; however, we have played a lot of games in a short space of time, and that doesn’t happen anywhere in the world. Moreover, the referee’s decisions further complicated the game on us,” he said.

Soares arrived at Al Ahly last month to replace South African Mosimane with a promise to win the remaining silverware after his predecessor had surrendered the CAF Champions League title.

The Reds let slip the continental title after losing 2-0 to Wydad Athletic in the final played in Morocco in what proved to be Mosimane’s last game in charge of the team before he threw in the towel.

He has since gone on a sabbatical back home in South Africa, saying he was not fired by Al Ahly management but opted to walk out on the job due to intense pressure, revealing that he had been battling against high blood pressure.

Al Ahly also lost 2-1 to Zamalek in the Egyptian Cup final three weeks ago.

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