Riveiro reveals how plan to play like Mamelodi Sundowns backfired at Al Ahly

Former Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has opened up about his short stint at Egyptian giants Al Ahly which saw him sacked after just three months in the job.

Riveiro left Pirates in May for Al Ahly, signing a two-year contract, with an option for another, but he could not see it out as he was laid off after just seven games in charge of the team.

The Spanish coach says Al Ahly hired him with a view to changing their style of play from a team that beat opponents on the break to one that dominates possession and scores from well-worked moves but did not have the patience to allow him implement the vision.

“The project and mandate for us was to change the things in the team, to try to turn in a modern direction in a modern approach to football,” Riveiro said on SuperSport TV.

Why did Riveiro fail at the Cairo ed Devils?

“Trying to bring a little bit more about positional play, being a much more dominant team in terms of football, not only in terms of results.

“To change the way to approach the profession of a football player also, the methodology, like a different vision.”

uPadre uthi AlAhly wanted to play more like Pirates 🤔

What are your thoughts on what Jose Riveiro had to say on @mysoccerafrica? pic.twitter.com/F72qd5b7gE

— Thomas Mlambo (@thomasmlambo) November 24, 2025

The 50-year-old feels he had the backing of the club bosses to change how the team played but they changed the direction of travel when the team started the season in a shaky manner and pressure from fans and media mounted.

“I think they had a big vision in their mind, they brought us there with the intention to push that vision forward but at the end of the day, these kinds of clubs the pressure is extremely big from media and fans,” he added.

Al Ahly players wanted to play like Sundowns

“I think that at that moment, they could not manage to back up the coaching staff and myself and they did not have the patience that every project needs and you have to accept it. It is part of the game in this kind of club.”

Riveiro, who spent three successful years at Pirates, says Al Ahly players were happy to have him as they wanted to play dominant football like the Buccaneers and Sundowns but he was not given time to get his message across.

“The feedback from the players from the first day in the training, which is the closest you can have interactions with the players, was always positive,” said Riveiro.

“It was a group that welcomed us telling us they want to be that kind of team that they show when they play Sundowns or Pirates that can dominate the opponents having the ball all the time and not only be a counter attacking team.”