Spanish coach Riveiro lays down the law for Ahly stars
Spanish coach Jose Riveiro has laid down the law to the stars of African giants Al Ahly of Egypt as they prepare for another CAF Champions League campaign.
Cairo-based Ahly have won the elite African club competition a record 12 times — seven times more than closest rivals Zamalek of Egypt and TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ALSO READ: Ouaddou 'disappointed' after Pirates loss to Gallants
But last season they fell in the semi-finals to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, losing the tie on away goals after Yasser Ibrahim conceded an own goal in the final minute of regular time.
Defeat was particularly painful for the Cairo Red Devils as it was the fourth time they had won back-to-back titles only to fail to create history by lifting the trophy three consecutive times.
After three seasons and five trophies with Orlando Pirates in South Africa, Riveiro moved to Ahly last May and has yet to celebrate a victory.
Ahly drew with Inter Miami and Porto, who they led four times, at the Club World Cup in the United States and lost to Brazilian outfit Palmeiras.
If the 49-year-old Spaniard believed the Egypt Premier League kick-off last weekend would bring a chance of fortunes, he was mistaken.
Away to Modern Future, who finished 14th last season, Ahly had to come from behind to secure a 2-2 draw thanks to a Yassin Marei goal.
'There is no place for names, and no room for favouritism,' said a visibly angry Riveiro after that match.
'Whoever proves himself in training and in matches will get chances — whoever disobeys instructions will have no role in the team.'
– No future –
Queried by reporters about his line-up, Riveiro said: 'I am the coach and I decide who participates and who does not'.
Riveiro stressed to his squad the need for full commitment to his tactics, warning those who failed to follow them would have no future at Ahly.
He echoed the comments of the last two Ahly coaches, South African Pitso Mosimane and Swiss Marcel Koller, that Ahly want to win every competition they are involved in.
But Riveiro knows winning the Champions League is of paramount importance for several reasons, including qualification for the 2029 Club World Cup.
They have a first round bye in qualifying and will tackle the winners between Aigle Noir of Burundi and ASAS of Djibouti for a place in the group phase.
The Club World Cup this year gave Ahly and the other three African representatives, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Esperance of Tunisia and Wydad Casblanca of Morocco, unrivalled riches.
Each club received $9.5 million for qualifying plus an additional $2 million for a win and $1 million for a draw. Sundowns did best, taking home $12.5 million.
Wydad will not be involved in the coming Champions League as they finished third in the Moroccan league, leaving champions Renaissance Berkane and runners-up FAR Rabat to represent the kingdom.
FAR and the other seven quarter-finalists last season, including eventual champions Pyramids of Egypt will be back, and the field includes 10 former champions and six winners of other CAF competitions.
Pyramids will face Rwandan army outfit APR for the third straight season in qualifying and will be expected to complete a hat-trick of aggregate victories.
Should the defending champions advance, they will face Insurance of Ethiopia or Mlandege of Zanzibar for a group place.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
42 minutes ago
- IOL News
WATCH: Arsenal's Declan Rice goes viral dancing to Amapiano hit 'Jealousy'
Arsenal's English midfielder Declan Rice. Image: Glyn Kirk / AFP A video of Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice has gone viral after he was spotted dancing and singing along to the Amapiano hit 'Jealousy' by Tyler ICU and Khalil Harrison. The clip, posted by ESPN Africa on X (formerly Twitter), shows the 26-year-old fully immersed in the beat, swaying along and singing into a mic. Declan Rice vibing to South Africa's Tyler ICU and Khalil Harrison's track 'Jealousy' 🇿🇦🎵 — ESPN Africa (@ESPNAfrica) August 12, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The video was filmed during the launch of Arsenal's new kit and quickly made the rounds online. It seems the track is one of his favourites at the moment, as he also used it in one of his recent Instagram posts. The football star even has an Afrobeats song named after him, 'Declan Rice,' by Nigerian artist Odumodublvck. 'Jealousy,' which was released in 2023 and features Leemckrazy and Ceeka RSA, went viral on TikTok and, like many catchy tunes, found its way into countless playlists. Tyler ICU, a leading figure in the Amapiano scene, is behind several major hits, including 'Mnike,' which helped introduce the distinct sound to a wider audience. After the clip was posted, football and Amapiano fans alike shared their thoughts on Rice and his teammates enjoying the track. 'See Rice jamming to Tyler ICU's "Jealousy"! When African beats hit like dat, even Premier League stars no fit resist 🔥 Football and music bridging cultures, dat's di beauty of di game! My guy got proper Afrobeats rhythm,' wrote @Tobe_Betting. See Rice jamming to Tyler ICU's "Jealousy"! When African beats hit like dat, even Premier League stars no fit resist 🔥 Football and music bridging cultures, dat's di beauty of di game! My guy got proper Afrobeats rhythm sha 🇿🇦🎵 — Tobe | Betting tips (@Tobe_Betting) August 13, 2025 @BathuNgcolosi reposted the video with the caption: 'If Afronation opened my eyes to anything, it's that Mzansi's leading the charge right now when it comes to music/entertainment.' @MrChirenga simply said: 'Naaah he's got black in his blood no ways !!' Naaah he's got black in his blood no ways !! — UnitedLu (@MrChirenga) August 13, 2025 This Sunday, when Arsenal takes on Manchester United, fans will be watching to see if Rice brings the same energy on the pitch that he showed in the clip. IOL Entertainment
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane says fatigue will catch up with Sundowns
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane has warned fatigue will catch up with Mamelodi Sundowns because players did not have enough rest due to the Fifa Club World Cup. After they won the league last season, Sundowns players had a few weeks' break before they travelled to the US to play high-intensity matches against Ulsan HD of Korea, German side Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense FC of Brazil at the Club World Cup. When they returned from the US they rested for a few weeks before reporting for work to start two weeks of preparations in Rustenburg, which is unusual because preseason usually takes six weeks. The new season has started and they have already played three matches in 10 days and they have a high-profile MTN8 semifinal first leg against Orlando Pirates on Saturday. Zwane said coach Miguel Cardoso's players are going to suffer burnout during the season, which includes the Champions League. 'It is going to be a tough season for Sundowns because they played in the Fifa Club World Cup and at some point players will get tired,' said the AmaZulu coach. 'I am talking from a players' perspective because I played and I know. If you play football for four years at the same pace and high demands and travelling, it is difficult.' One of the three matches they have played so far included a trip to Gqeberha and Zwane said they travelled a lot last season, especially in the Champions League. 'It is not like in Europe where most trips are two or three hours. For Sundowns, I know they charter flights, but the disadvantage in Africa is sometimes you travel for seven to eight hours. 'We must capitalise on that, but they are a top team. They are good for South African football and we have to gauge ourselves using them and to get closer.' Cardoso said he is going to manage his players by rotating them. 'You know our preseason was two weeks, we joined and started playing and we had to do it that way. We know players are still growing on their conditioning and it is important to manage that. 'We know we have to manage players every match until we feel they are in condition to play every three days. We played 72 hours ago and we had to travel from the Eastern Cape. 'When you are at the beginning of the season it takes longer to recover fully, so we are trying to respect the conditioning of the players,' said Cardoso. Sundowns have dominated the local scene for years and Zwane pointed out other clubs must be smart if they want to compete with them. 'We have to be smart if we are to compete with Sundowns by capitalising, because they are going to play in the Champions League, some of the players are going to play for their national teams and there are going to be injuries. 'In this match we showed we can compete with less quality, especially in the first half. In the second it was a case of consistency. 'Since I have been with AmaZulu we have played three games against Sundowns and we always lose in the same way. Last season we conceded a goal during referee's optional time in the first round. 'In the second round we conceded two goals in a more or less the same situation. For our players, as long as they play and grow, they will get to the level of Sundowns.'
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Alonso's Real Madrid start La Liga with fresh energy
"Things are going to be different... we are starting from scratch," said Alonso. Real Madrid, featuring several new signings, approach the new season with fresh hope under recently-appointed coach Xabi Alonso, looking to turn the page on a disappointing end to the Carlo Ancelotti era with 'ambitious' football. Former Liverpool and Los Blancos midfielder Alonso saw at the Club World Cup in the United States this summer there is plenty of work to do, as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Madrid 4-0 in the semi-final. ALSO READ: Spanish coach Riveiro lays down the law for Ahly stars 'Things are going to be different… we are starting from scratch,' said Alonso, although some of his findings from the tournament will undoubtedly influence his approach. Madrid fans also got their first glimpse of the Basque tactician's plans, and also of England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alonso showed tactical flexibility, utilising both a four-man and three-man defence, whereas his predecessor Ancelotti tended to stick with four at the back and was criticised for not being adaptive enough in games. By contrast Alonso was keen to adjust things during matches if he could, including the positioning of his players, and keen to impress on his squad they must all help defensively and with pressing. 'We need and want everyone to defend — the 11 players on the pitch have to be involved defensively,' said Alonso during the tournament, asked specifically about star forwards Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. 'They have to know how we want to press, and without that, things will be very complicated,' continued Alonso. 'Vini, Jude (Bellingham), Fede (Valverde), Kylian, those up front, the defence has to push forward too.' Alonso is looking to obtain the balance that Ancelotti failed to achieve last season following Mbappe's arrival from PSG. Although the French superstar struck 43 goals under Ancelotti it was not enough to inspire a Madrid side that finished the season without a major trophy, while Barcelona reclaimed La Liga as part of a domestic treble. Mbappe's illness with a stomach bug kept him out of Madrid's group matches at the Club World Cup, but on his first start was in the destruction by PSG. 'We have to be self-critical, but it will also serve us as a guide for where we need to improve,' said Alonso. If Alonso can find the formula for Mbappe and Vinicius to work together without sacrificing too much out of possession remains to be seen, while winger Rodrygo Goes does not appear to be part of the coach's plans, playing a bit-part role in the States. – Goodbyes and new faces – Madrid go into the season without Luka Modric in the squad for the first time in over a decade, with the Croatian's experience and quality a big miss for a side lacking some guile in midfield. Los Blancos' hope is for Turkish playmaker Arda Guler to be able to thrive there and become a player who can control the tempo of a game. 'The coach is trying to make us have more control of the game, and that's better for me,' said Guler. The 20-year-old should get plenty of chances to play at the start of the season with Jude Bellingham sidelined until around mid-October after shoulder surgery to solve a long-running issue. By then new arrival and fellow England international Alexander-Arnold may have established himself in the side. The full-back, who joined from Liverpool before the end of his contract so he could play at the Club World Cup, adds further attacking quality to a Madrid squad brimming with it. Madrid hope Dean Huijsen could help solve some issues at the back, while Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono also join, with Los Blancos spending over 170 million euros ($200 million) this summer. Dani Carvajal's return from a long-term knee injury is another piece of good news for a Madrid side who need it after their 2024-25 campaign was more noteworthy for the club's attacks on referees than for success on the field. Alonso, who hopes to play an 'ambitious' game with 'emotion and energy', wants the world to be talking about Real Madrid's football once again.
