José Riveiro’s time at Al Ahly wasn’t just a failure — it was a humiliation of historic proportions. The man hailed as a “mastermind” at Orlando Pirates has now been stripped bare, exposed as a coach who thrived in South Africa’s comfort zone but collapsed the moment he faced real heat in North Africa.
Let’s be honest: Pirates fans hyped him like he was Pep Guardiola of Soweto. But was it really genius, or just smoke and mirrors? The truth hurts — in Egypt, his playbook looked like a photocopy with missing pages. Possession football? More like possession of bad ideas.
Al Ahly thought they were signing a proven winner. Instead, they imported a coach who looked lost, confused, and completely out of his depth. Twelve games, 12th place, and no sign of progress. The Club World Cup? A worldwide embarrassment. Rival fans laughed, Al Ahly fans raged, and Riveiro stood there clueless.
But let’s not let Al Ahly off the hook. Their obsession with chasing shiny foreign coaches is embarrassing now. They could’ve chosen someone who actually understands Egyptian football — instead, they gambled on a “South African success story” and lost badly. Panic hires, panic sackings — the cycle continues.
Here’s the bitter truth: Riveiro’s legacy at Al Ahly is failure. No excuses, no “projects,” no sympathy. For Pirates fans, it’s a wake-up call — maybe their so-called genius was just a man who found comfort in a league with lower pressure. For Al Ahly, it’s an expensive reminder that reputation doesn’t win trophies.
Riveiro walked in as a hero. He walks out as the biggest zero in African football coaching in 2025.
