Photo Credit - Esteghlal FC.
Former Esteghlal FC CEO Hojjat Karimi has described South African coach Pitso Mosimane as “a very bad coach, who has been sacked many times.”
The statement by Karimi comes a few weeks after the 60-year-old Mosimane had left the Iranian club over unpaid wages. By the time he was leaving, Esteghlal were winless in their six Persian Gulf Pro League games as they drew five times. Their last win came against Mes Kerman in the Hazfi Cup Round of 16 back in mid-December.
Mosimane, who has coached other teams in Africa including Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Egyptian giants Al Ahly, had left Saudi side Abha to join the Iranian giants but the plan did not work out with the side.
“Right from the start, the gentlemen claimed they brought the African Lion to Iran. A coach who is very bad and has been sacked many times,” he said, as per Varzesh3 as quoted by FARPost.
“Why did we need to bring a coach from Africa and a country whose football is much weaker than ours? We didn’t say anything during this time so as not to weaken the team, but it was clear to me that he wouldn’t succeed.
“Instead of bringing a coach to Esteghlal from a country with a style in football, we brought a coach from a place where I think Iran should export coaches to. The amount of Mosimane’s contract with Esteghlal, which was on par with the great world coaches, is truly unbelievable…”
Mosimane has also coached Al-Ahli Saudi in Saudi Arabia, Al Wahda and served as the caretaker coach of the South African national team, Bafana Bafana, for seven games in 2007 prior to the appointment of Carlos Alberto Parreira as the head coach.
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