‘Yena a ya kwini!' — Riveiro’s Al Ahly adventure cut short

YENA A YA KWINI! Where was he going?

This has been the reaction of many Orlando Pirates fans after their former coach José Riveiro was sacked by Al Ahly just seven matches into his reign at the Egyptian giants. After all, the Buccaneers had offered him a contract extension and made clear how much they valued his services.

But like any ambitious coach, Riveiro opted for the lure of the continent’s most successful club.

Was it the wrong decision?

With hindsight, perhaps so, as the Spaniard now finds himself among the unemployed following a disappointing start in Cairo.

For me, though, Riveiro’s mistake was not in accepting the Ahly job, but in taking it at the time he did. Again, ambition came into play. The Fifa Club World Cup is the ultimate stage, and everyone in football aspires to experience it.

When Ahly came calling, they were on the verge of competing at the tournament in the US. Pirates were still mid-season, but Riveiro pushed for an early release and chairman Irvin Khoza reluctantly obliged. He wanted the big stage.

What Riveiro misjudged, however, was the seriousness with which Ahly approached the competition. They may not have qualified as African champions, but the expectation from the Red Devils’ faithful was progress beyond the group stage.

Riveiro, in contrast, seemed to view it as a warm-up. Pitted against Porto, Palmeiras and hosts Inter Miami, he may have felt results there would not affect his tenure. They did.

A winless run in the US — draws with Porto and Inter Miami and a loss to Palmeiras — immediately set him back. His domestic campaign began under pressure, and after one win and two draws, a 2-0 defeat to Pyramids FC sealed his fate.

Would he really have been fired for just one defeat in four matches, had those Club World Cup results not been hanging over him?

Probably not.

The episode underlines the gulf between South African and Egyptian football cultures. Up north, standards are cut-throat. At Ahly, every coach faces the scrutiny — and taunts — of club legends. Riveiro was never a universally popular appointment, with many ex-players questioning his credentials.

And to be fair, they had a point.

For all his popularity at Pirates, he failed three times to deliver the Premiership title. The league is the true test of a coach’s credentials, not the MTN8 — which, gimmick as it is, involves only half the league and is played in the heart of pre-season. The Nedbank Cup carries more weight, but real greatness lies in conquering the marathon of the league.

Riveiro did achieve notable results — knocking Ahly out of the CAF Champions League being chief among them — and that no doubt swayed Mahmoud Al-Khatib and his board in Cairo. But his record against Pyramids, a relative newcomer to the African scene, should have been a warning sign. It was their defeat that eventually cost him.

Personally, the sacking will sting. But it is far from the end.

He has added Al Ahly to his CV, and even briefly stood on the stage of the Club World Cup. For discerning employers, the record shows he was dismissed after just four domestic matches — winning one, drawing two, losing one.

Not disastrous by any measure.

So where was he going?

To boost his credentials by adding Africa’s biggest club to his list, even if only for seven matches. And don’t be surprised if we soon see him resurface — perhaps in North Africa again, or even at a smaller European club — a coach still valued, still ambitious, and still very much in the game.