Why did Pitso ‘Jingles’ Mosimane choose a difficult job in Saudi Arabia?

Three months ago, Pitso ‘Jingles’ Mosimane became the first coach in South Africa to receive the CAF Pro Licence after studying coaching in Morocco earlier this year. All this happened after Jingles decided to leave Egypt’s Al Ahly after winning five trophies in just two years.

Since then, Mosimane has been resting at home. According to him, he never needed a football team to coach – he decided to take a break. Last weekend, the football scene in South Africa was shocked by the news that he was signed by the Saudi Arabian team called Al-Ahli Saudi FC.

This means that Pitso and his colleagues, Kabelo Rangoaga, Mui Matlaba and Kyle Solomon will travel to Saudi Arabia where they will be tasked with the difficult task of promoting Al-Ahli Saudi FC who are relegated from Saudi Arabia’s top-flight football league, Saudi Pro League.

Question: what attracted Pitso’s interest in a nation that is not strong football nation? His bosses at MT Sports said Pitso told them to accept a job offer from a team where he will make a significant difference. According to media reports, Al Ahli Saudi FC is the second oldest club in Saudi Arabia and returning to the top level is a priority for its management. That is why they are looking for the best coach in the African continent.

“Having left Al Ahly SC three months ago, MT Sports has received numerous offers from clubs and national teams around the world for the services of Coach Pitso and his dream team. However, the mandate that MT Sports received from the coaches was to only take on an interesting and challenging project that will enable them to have impact in turning a team into champions,” said a report by MT Sports.

Even though some people do not really like him going to a second division side in Saudi Arabia, he has accepted the responsibility.

“The opportunity we get makes us very happy. I cannot wait to meet the players of my new team after being given the responsibility by the team chairman. We will try our best to impress the fans by making history for their team,” said Pitso who is expected to receive a hefty sum of money from one of the richest countries in the world.