Pitso Mosimane reveals more about his departure from Iranian club Esteghlal

Photo Credit: Esteghlal FC

Veteran South African coach Pitso Mosimane has revealed the key reasons why he ended his marriage with Iranian side Esteghlal just six months after signing for the club.

The 60-year-old former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly boss took charge of the club in October last year and was tasked with turning around the club's fortunes in the Persian Gulf Pro League where the popular club had struggled to gain ground.

Mosimane started his term on a fine note having chalked three wins, four losses, and seven draws. However a poor run of form led to increasing criticism from supporters and financial issues also stalled his salary payments for two months, all factors that led to his departure on January 28 a couple days after a 0-0 draw at Malavan.

Since leaving the club, Mosimane has come under sharp criticism with the club's CEO Hojjat Karimi accusing him of being motivated solely by monetary gains. In an interview on 5FM, Mosimane shared that his departure from the club was a necessary move to safeguard his brand.

“A big team in Iran, a big team in Asia. We just played [AFC] Champions League with Cristiano Ronaldo’s team, we played with Neymar’s [former] team, we played with Riyad Mahrez’s team,” Mosimane said.

“For me as an African coach, there is nothing bigger than that. You play with big teams, big coaches, who won [Copa] Libertadores, who won leagues. Everybody who is not in the Premier League is in that space.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t end very well because I had to terminate the contract because I had to protect the brand, I had to protect my name, I had to protect the 26 years I’ve put in football,” The former Al Ahly coach said.