Benni McCarthy questions Percy Tau’s Al Ahly move: ‘It’s a massive step down’

Bafana Bafana legend and current AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy says he was taken aback by Percy Tau’s departure from English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

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Tau completed his much-anticipated move on Thursday from the Seagulls to Egyptian giants Al Ahly where he will reunite with his former Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Pitso Mosimane.

Benni McCarthy suggested the nature of Tau’s departure from Brighton could well make it harder for South African footballers to make it to the English top-flight in the future.

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Tau’s move has predictably divided opinion among South African supporters in particular with many hoping to see him ‘make it big’ in without question the world’ No 1 league rather than return to Africa.

Tau will become just the second ever South African footballer to play for Al Ahly (after Phakamani Mahlambi) and the third South African to play in Egypt (after Gift Links).

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At Brighton, Percy Tau made just six total appearances while featuring against the likes of Manchester City and Leicester City.

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“I am also a bit taken aback by his decision of going to Al Ahly but he’s not gone to just any team,” Benni McCarthy told SAFJA in a lengthy interview.

“He’s gone to a team where he’s always going to live the limelight, but on the African continent.

“And him making that decision, which I know is probably just people’s opinion and the way they think in a negative way, has just made it kind of clear that this is what South African players are like, that they don’t have strong will power, they don’t have a strong mentality, that when the going gets tough, they would rather take themselves out of the equation.

“As good as Al Ahly is, they are still in Africa. They are not in the European continent, they don’t play against the best players in the world, they don’t play week in and week out against the Liverpools, Chelseas, Man Uniteds, the Tottenham Hotspurs.

“They play against Pyramids, Arab Contractors, Zamalek. As good as their league is, the fact remains they are in Africa, so for me, it’s a massive step down for him. But, hopefully, he gets to play and he gets to do well and he improves every bit.

“The whole reason he went there was to win things, to get himself playing week in and week out and on that front, I understand his point, but personally, I think staying in the Premier League and fighting your guts out [was what he should have done] because you couldn’t have been in a better league and in a better position than he was.

“Now it has just eliminated himself, which makes it tougher for South African players to get the opportunity because that’s the mentality people will have of us.

“They will look at us and say, ‘Ah, this player doesn’t play, he’s not up for a fight so he’d rather take a step down and go to a lesser league on a different continent than to fight it out and ride the wave when the going gets tough.'”