FIFA Pays Tribute to Al Ahli Saudi Head Coach Pitso Mosimane

• Pitso Mosimane is a man who always lifts the standards of the clubs he ends up coaching
• In his latest success, he has raised second-division team Al Ahli Saudi to top flight football
• This was world governing body FIFA paying tribute to the respected South African mentor

Pitso Mosimane is starting to get the global recognition he deserves.

The Al Ahli Saudi coach was recently given a 'shout-out' by world football's governing body for his work at Egyptian giants, Al Ahly SC previously, and the miracle work he has enacted in Saudi Arabia.

A tweet, accompanied by a video from its Arabic-language account, read:

"They call him the man of hard times. Pitso Mosimane, the man who won two consecutive bronze medals with Al-Ahly in the FIFA Club World Cup. And here he is writing a new history with Al-Ahly, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia."

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Mosimane's Saudi success story

The organisation recognised his achievement of leading Al Ahli Saudi from the Middle Eastern country's second-tier to the Saudi Pro League, with the status of Saudi First Division League champions now being up for grabs as a sweetener.

According to TimesLIVE, Mosimane said via his own Twitter account:

"They told us we are taking a career suicide [and] that the team has a lot of problems (management, finances, etc), but we bravely took the project, irrespective. They also told us we can’t resuscitate the sleeping giant. We daily whispered to it and tonight, it responded. It’s awake. Navy seals! We deliver big projects in any league, country or continent. Bring it on. Also, the flag is always with us.”

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Club legend wants Mosimane gone

For all the positive mentions, Sports Brief also reported how it has become almost a custom for the South African to be hounded by those connected to clubs he has managed abroad.

It was almost a daily occurrence to be blasted by some Al Ahly SC fans and ex-players during his time in Cairo and he has also found it difficult to win over fans of Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia.

This includes club legend, Hussein Abdul-Ghani, who stated that he hoped Mosimane got fired at the end of the season despite the miracles the South African has brought about.