Cape Town — Judging by Pitso Mosimane's post-match moans, his visits to the country of his birth have become a living hell.
While coming to grips with a distressing defeat at the hands of his former club Mamelodi Sundowns, Mosimane was at pains to explain the misery he endures when he tours South Africa with Al Ahly.
"There's always drama when I come here," said Mosimane at the post-match presser. He responded to a question about footage on social media which informed that he removed barricades that blocked Al Ahly's team bus en route to Soccer City on Saturday.
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"I complained because I moved the barricades which were blocking the road."
Mosimane refused to go into details but invited the media person who had asked the question to "talk about Atteridgeville first." The Atteridgeville reference pertains to his visit last year when Al Ahly played hosts Sundowns.
"You must talk about what happened in Atteridgeville first when they (presumably Sundowns supporters) blocked the bus," said Mosimane. "They swore at my mother and my family.
“I don’t want to talk a lot about Sundowns too much. I will tell you what happened even when we played Sundowns last time.
"There are too many personal things. I’m over those things and I don’t want to talk about them - it’s unbelievable. I don’t want to talk anymore. I’ll talk about it in my book or my documentary.
“Even now before every match, they’re still after me these people. They don’t want to leave me alone, I’ve moved on. You’ve got a good team; you’ve got three coaches.
"What do you want? Move on, leave me I’m gone. I’ve done my best and I have given you a great team."
"Why are you after me? What do you want to achieve? It's very dirty and I'll reveal it one day. There's a lot and it’s too much. Don't play dirty.
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"The game is played on the pitch. The goal is legitimate and it’s no problem. Thapelo Morena's goal in Cairo was good.
"Why do you dabble in underhand stuff? You're a big team."
Mosimane reflected on his time at Sundowns over the years as a player and coach.
"People play a game that takes you to a different emotion. We play at high-level tournaments, so the blocking of buses cannot be a problem," said Mosimane.
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"We know the person behind all of this. There's only one person behind all of this, but I'm strong in football and I have been around.
"I have been at Sundowns with the different owners, both as a player and coach. In football, I'm strong in my capacity.
"You can't deal with me. I have a career that I've built for myself, and that will talk (for itself). The rest is cheap."
Mosimane stands a good chance of saving Al Ahly's Championship League campaign because the remaining two games will at their Cairo base. He felt that group stage wins do not ensure a team will win the championship.
“What’s important is winning that trophy and putting it on the table. Then we talk," said Mosimane.
"It is part of football to lose group stage matches. You can win all the group matches, but I think you know the story at the end.”
“We’ve got two games to play, and we should stay where we are in second place in the group. To do that, we must win the two matches."
IOL Sport