Former Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro reveals 'it's a difficult place, lets leave it there' when quizzed on his short-lived stint at Al Ahly

After clinching five trophies with Premier Soccer League heavyweights Orlando Pirates, Jose Riveiro decided to take a new challenge in North Africa.

He accepted the daring challenge of coaching the perennial CAF Champions League winners, but he did not last long. After three months, the pressure from fans and a vocal set of Al Ahly legends was too high, which prompted the club's hierarchy to act and dismiss him.

Riveiro said he needed time in order to lay the ground work for the future, but he was not accorded the necessary patience.

"It's a difficult place; let's leave it there," he told Metro FM's SNAWA.

"It wasn't only about the results; we wanted to do a lot more when we arrived, but you need the proper support to do it, and we didn't have it."

"We unfortunately couldn't start the way we wanted to. I think the people were realising that we were trying to do something different with the group and changing the style of the team in a very short space of time," he added.

"We only had 10-11 training sessions before the Club World Cup started, and there were many new signings joining the group. In terms of performance, I was quite happy, and the fan reaction was very positive.

"Unfortunately, the beginning of the season did not play out the way we had hoped, and it only took four games for people at the club to lose their patience."

However, the MTN8 Cup-winning tactician said he does not regret his decision, and what happened remains in the past.

"I don't look back in life," he said.

"The decision was made in specific circumstances, and it's easy to make decisions with tomorrow's journal. I didn't leave Pirates to move to Al Ahly; it was a decision that was made a long time ago," the Spaniard added.

"The only thing that I didn't like was that I needed to move across before the local PSL season ended."

Riveiro also spoke about his decision to leave the Sea Robbers, and he emphasised that he did not ask to leave in order to join Al Ahly. He clarified that the Al Ahly offer came after he had already made up his mind.

"I don't know if people understood the nature of my decision at that time, but I didn't leave Pirates because I moved to Al Ahly," Riveiro stated.

"It was a decision that was made a long, long time ago. They [Pirates] knew, and Ahly came later. The only thing that I didn't like about what happened was the fact that I moved before the season ended here. I wasn't happy about that.

"It was a must, yeah, from Ahly [to prepare for the FIFA Club World Cup]... But I didn't have any other option at that time; I had to do it in that way."

"I was lucky that the club helped me a lot, Pirates. Pirates people were backing me all the time, and they made it easy for me to find a way to be there on time. I had the possibility to play that [FIFA Club] World Cup."

Although Riveiro is in South Africa as the Carling Black Label ambassador, his return raised eyebrows, as some thought he was set to join another club.

The speculation came up, although Riveiro made it clear that he will not coach another PSL club, as his loyalty was with Bucs.

"No [I won’t consider coaching another PSL team], never. Never! I will never coach any other team in South Africa. I am a Buccaneer," he said then.

"Orlando Pirates is the only club that I could have the motivation and the courage and energy, and the heart, in this case, to coach in the country, no doubt."

Pirates have since moved on, though, as Abdeslam Ouaddou was appointed as his successor.