That's Dr Mosimane, thank you: Pitso to receive honorary doctorate from University of Johannesburg

• The three-time CAF Champions League winning coach will be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy by UJ. 
• The doctorate is to honour Mosimane for the work he has done in raising Africa's profile on the global stage, including exposing FIFA's poor attitude towards the continent. 
• Mosimane did not even make the shortlist of the 2021 Coach of the Year nominations, despite winning two Champions League titles in a period of eight months. 
• For more sport news, go to the News24 Sport front page.

South Africa's most successful football coach, Pitso Mosimane, is set to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in a ceremony to be held on 25 July.  

UJ will confer Mosimane with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy for the work he has done in championing African football and fighting for it to be given more respect globally.

Mosimane made international headlines in 2022 when he was overlooked for the FIFA awards, despite having a better season than any manager in the world.

"Jingles" won two CAF Champions League titles (for the 2019-2020 and 2020-21 seasons) in eight months with Egyptian club Al-Ahly, which were accompanied by two CAF Super Cups and finishing third in the FIFA Club World Cup. 

Despite that success, he did not make the shortlist for the FIFA 2021 Coach of the Year award, an omission that was even criticised by the New York Times.

Six of the seven coaches FIFA shortlisted for the award that year were all based in Europe – Thomas Tuchel, Roberto Mancini, Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick, Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte. The only outlier was Argentina's Lionel Scaloni, with the award going to Tuchel. 

A number of African football experts criticised FIFA's choice.

Since then, Mosimane has added more trophies to his decorated CV -he became the first South African coach to win three Champions League titles with two teams, with the first coming in 2016 with Mamelodi Sundowns. 

He has also won league titles in three countries, thanks to his exploits with Sundowns in South Africa, Al-Ahly in Egypt and helping Al-Ahli gain promotion to the Saudi Pro League in the Middle East. 

Mosimane is back in Saudi Arabia where he is on a mission to help Abha Club avoid relegation from the premier division.

The 59-year-old coach signed a short-term contract with Abha in January with a mandate to avoid the drop – the club is currently in 17th place with 10 games to go. 

"Mr Pitso Mosimane has achieved notable success as a football player and national and international coach," said UJ in a statement. 

"He won the South African Football Association Coach of the Year Award, was awarded the PSL Coach of the Season Award on five occasions and was named the CAF Coach of the Year in 2016. 

"Such accomplishments demonstrate his exceptional leadership, strategic acumen, and ability to motivate and inspire a team to perform at the highest level. 

"Mr. Mosimane has been vocal about the potential and quality of African football and has consistently advocated for African players to receive equal opportunities and recognition in global football. 

"His outspokenness has helped shed light on the talent pool in Africa and the need for increased investment and development in the continent’s football infrastructure. 

"He continues to excel in this avenue with the development of the Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools. Mosimane’s success has broken barriers and shattered stereotypes, demonstrating that African coaches and players can excel at the highest levels of the game."