FORMER Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane will be hoping for a happier return to his old stomping ground when he brings his Al Ahly team to Mzansi later next month.
Mosiman’s Ahly have been drawn with his former team Sundowns as well as Sudanese pair Al Hilal and Al Merrikh in the group stages of the Caf Champions League.
It will not be the first time Mosimane returns to Mzansi to face his former side having snatched a 1-1 draw in his last trip to Tshwane.
That visit, however, will be remembered for the unfortunate scenes that took place before the match where a select number of Downs fans abused Mosimane.
What should have been a welcome return to a stadium where he had experienced a lot of success, the Lucas Moripe Stadium, quickly turned to heartbreak for Mosimane.
This was after a group of Sundowns fans accosted the Al-Ahly team bus on Maunde Street in Atteridgeville and hurled insults at Mosimane.
"I was a little bit emotional when I saw the placards outside the stadium. All of those people swearing at me and swearing at my mother," Mosimane said after the incident.
"I asked myself what else I should have done for this team to gain their respect, but it's football and I understand."
Nevertheless, Mosimane’s Red Devils managed to get the job done, eliminating Downs in the quarterfinals on their way to clinching the title.
Mosimane will be eager to replicate those results in the two meetings with Downs in the group stages as he chases his third Champions League title with Ahly and his fourth overall.
But he is hoping that it will be a much happier and more peaceful return to Tshwane when he brings his Red Devils for yet another battle with the Brazilians.
“I don’t need a repeat of the movie I saw the last time I visited Atteridgeville,” said Mosimane on social media.
Meanwhile, another former Brazilian, Percy Tau, will also be back at his old stomping ground where he made a name for himself in the famous Ka Bo Yellow.
Tau, who scored 24 goals in his 104 appearances for Downs and won several trophies, including the Champions League in 2016, will face his former employers for the first time since leaving.
