Mamelodi Sundowns to face Al Ahli in Pitso Mosimane reunion

Mamelodi Sundowns will meet Saudi Arabian giants Al Ahli on 19 September after the Asian champions booked their place in the next round of the FIFA tournament with a 1-0 win over Auckland FC.

The match will bring together two clubs closely associated with Pitso Mosimane, who established Mamelodi Sundowns as a major force in African football before later taking charge of Al Ahli.

Al Ahli secured their progression with a goal from substitute Saleh Abu Al Shamat in the 63rd minute of their match against Auckland FC in Jeddah. The result confirmed the date for a meeting between Mosimane’s former clubs, with the sides set to contest a place in the FIFA Challenger Cup stage.

The game will be played at a neutral venue. Neither club will have Mosimane in its technical area, despite the significant impact he had on both institutions during his managerial career.

Mosimane guided Mamelodi Sundowns through a period of major success, helping transform the South African club into one of the continent’s leading teams. His subsequent spell at Al Ahli also delivered promotion, but his time in Saudi Arabia ended in an acrimonious split that was widely described as an ugly divorce.

That difficult conclusion contrasted with what had appeared to be the beginning of a triumphant chapter for Mosimane and the club. The forthcoming fixture will therefore see the two organisations he helped shape face one another, although the coach himself will not be involved.

The September 19 winner will lift the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup and move one step closer to a possible meeting with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

That potential final remains some way off, however. The competition must first proceed through the FIFA Derby of the Americas and FIFA Challenger Cup stages before the path to the final is decided.

A centralised venue for the latter rounds has not yet been confirmed. For now, attention turns to the meeting between Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahli, with both clubs seeking to advance and claim the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup.

Al Ahli’s victory over Auckland FC was enough to settle a close contest and complete their passage into the next round. Abu Al Shamat’s second-half strike ultimately separated the sides and set up the reunion between Mosimane’s two former employers.

The fixture will offer a meeting between African and Asian football and add another chapter to the links between Mosimane, Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahli. One of the clubs will leave the contest with the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup, while the other will see its progress in the tournament come to an end.