The South African coach Pitso Mosimane (Reuters)
Ahly reportedly reached an agreement on Wednesday with South African coach Pitso Mosimane, who departed Mamelodi Sundowns earlier in the day.
The official announcement is expected to be made on Thursday.
The Cairo giants had been struggling to convince their current Swiss coach Rene Weiler to continue his mission with the team in the African Champions League semis scheduled for next month. The coach is expected to leave the club by the start of October, owing to family reasons.
As soon as the struggle arose between the Swiss tactician and the Reds, the team started to search for a replacement quickly in order to prepare themselves for the anticipated clash against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on 17, 23 October in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League semifinals.
Mosimane was the last name that arose as a candidate after he expressed desire to coach a North African Club. Mosimane has great experience in the African club competitions, and both Cairo giants remember him pretty well after Sundowns won the Champions League by defeating Zamalek in 2016, and the humiliating 5-0 victory against Ahly in the 2019 edition.
South Africa's Sundowns issued an statement on Wednesday approving and supporting Mosimane in his next step with a top Egyptian club.
"I have received a warm and emotional note from Pitso and I am very proud of his achievements with Mamelodi Sundowns," said Sundowns' president Patrice Motsepe in an official statement.
"Pitso has been the most successful coach in the history of Sundowns and will always be a member of the Mamelodi Sundowns Family. I wish him and his family the very best and I hope to see him coaching in Europe soon," he added.
The 56-year-old coach confirmed his departure from Sundowns on Wednesday, expressing his sadness to leave the club and giving a warm farewell message to the fans and the board.
"It is with a sense of pain and sadness that I announce my departure from Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club. I have accepted an offer to join an international team," said Mosimane in a statement.
"Mamelodi Sundowns has been my family for almost eight years. President Dr Patrice Motsepe has been like a father to me. He has been a mentor, a friend, a supporter and a confidante. I could never quit him or Mamelodi Sundowns," he added.
"I am only going away to carry the spirit of the Yellow Nation with me."
Mosimane, who is expected to be Ahly's first ever African coach, led Sundowns and the South African national team, but all of the titles he won were on the club level, as he won five league titles, two South African Cup titles, the CAF Champions League, and the CAF Super Cup.
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