Diaz looks safe at Al-Hilal as critics push for Mosimane exit at Al-Ahly

It is less than four months since the biggest Arab club in Africa, Al-Ahly, defeated the biggest Arab club in Asia, Al-Hilal, 4-0 in the third-placed game at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Within 48 hours, the Saudi Arabians, bristling at the humiliation imposed on the world stage by their fellow Arab giants, fired coach Leonardo Jardim.

Now, the coaching situations of the teams from the capitals of Egypt and Saudi Arabia are once again up in the air, but this time the pressure is on Al-Ahly’s boss.

Pitso Mosimane has been at the storied club since September 2020, though it feels longer. The South African won two CAF Champions League titles but last weekend lost in the final 2-0 against Wydad AC in Casablanca, and thereby lost the chance to become the first coach to win three in a row and just the second to win four in total. Some feel that he may lose his job before too long.

He is the first ever Al-Ahly coach to come from elsewhere in Africa and, despite the continental success, has had to deal with criticism from past players throughout his time. As early as February 2021, he told Arab News: “There will always be legends who played here who feel that you took the opportunity and say: ‘Why him and not us?’

“It is normal for ex-players to give their opinion. They played here and I did not, so you have to respect that. This is an opportunity, but the team asked for me — I did not apply.

“They had not won the Champions League for years but believed I could win it for them, and we won it thanks to the players, the fans and the club. I have the support of the club, and if others think they could do better, then they can have that opinion.”

Last week, Mosimane said something similar. “They are legends,