PITSO Mosimane is back home in South Africa, no doubt wondering if he should ever accept a coaching position in the Arab world again.
‘Jingles’ has had his ambitious eye on adding the Asian Champions League title to the four African ones already in his cabinet, and has for the past half a decade picked projects that would help him realise that goal.
But twice now he has had to abandon the dream before he could even challenge for domestic honours in leagues whose clubs are eligible for the Asian Champions League.
On the one occasion, when it appeared he was coaching a club – Al-Ahli Jeddah – he could conquer Asia with, the former South African national team coach was sent packing despite having helped them return to the Saudi Pro League.
On Wednesday, his handlers, MT Sports Marketing & Management, announced that he had parted ways with Iranian outfit Esteghlal FC a mere three months after joining them, with the view of helping the fallen giants of the Persian Pro League move back up the table.
Mosimane’s decision to part ways with the club stemmed from two months’ unpaid salary for him and his technical team of Maahier Davids, Musi Matlaba, Kabelo Rangoaga and Kyle Solomon.
In a media release sent out on Wednesday morning, MT Sports explained that they’d made concerted efforts to get the salary issue sorted out, but was met with resistance from the club.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
— MTSports (@MTSports10) January 29, 2025
COACH PITSO MOSIMANE AND HIS TECHNICAL TEAM DEPART ESTEGHLAL FC. pic.twitter.com/gc9rBUFlu8
“Despite numerous opportunities provided by MT Sports Marketing & Management to resolve the matter, starting with initial discussions with the former CEO of the club last year, followed by a formal default notice delivered on January 1 2025, Esteghlal failed to address the issue,” the statement read.
It added that Mosimane and his men then extended a 15-day deadline as per the FIFA rules “to allow the new CEO and board time to familiarise themselves with the situation and remedy the outstanding payments”.
But Esteghlal failed to honour their part of the contract within that period.
“Pitso Mosimane and his technical team are still owed more than two months’ salaries.”
MT Sports are not going to let the matter just disappear, though.
“Moving forward, the appropriate processes will be followed to resolve this matter. Coach Pitso remains committed to the value of football excellence, and looks forward to pursuing new opportunities to continue contributing to the game.”
It will be the second time MT Sports goes the legal route to fight for Mosimane and his technical team to be paid what’s due to them.
The group also left their previous employ at Al-Ahli under acrimonious circumstances, with the club not having paid their salaries.
He also had a short-lived stint at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wahda, where his contract was terminated on “mutual consent”, before working at Saudi Arabian side Abha in a four-month deal.
Expectations were that he would help resurrect Esteghlal and make them competitive at continental level, just as he did with both SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The DREAM TEAM has landed in Tehran! 🇿🇦🤝🏾🇮🇷
— MTSports (@MTSports10) October 25, 2024
Coach @TheRealPitso and his technical team (missing Kyle Solomon) were received with a warm welcome by @esteghlal_tw 🫶🏾
The work has already started and we are behind them all the way!💪🏾💙#ChangingTheGame #WeAreLegacyMakers #Taj… pic.twitter.com/3zuIuUWE6q
He was doing fairly okay, having led them to the next round of the Iranian Cup, getting them to move a little up the table to 11th and even seeing them still in with a shot in the Asian Champions League after a draw with his former club Al Hilal.
But this latest fallout due to unpaid salaries has to surely make Mosimane reconsider his desire to conquer Asia, particularly with an Arab club.
Should he want to pursue that dream, it would perhaps do him good for his handlers to rather look to the Far East, where the prospects of staying on for the full haul might be much brighter.