South African football legend Steven Pienaar has landed a new job in the United Arab Emirates following his exit from Ajax Amsterdam, the Siya crew can confirm. The 41-year-old former Bafana Bafana captain has taken up a coaching role in the youth structures of UAE Pro League side Sharjah FC, joining fellow South Africans Pitso Mosimane [Al Wahda] and Thulani Serero [Khorfakkan] in the oil-rich nation.
Pienaar’s move comes after his return to his childhood club Ajax Amsterdam in 2019, where he worked as a trainee coach and later as the club’s u18 assistant coach. While there has been no official announcement of Pienaar’s exit from the Dutch giants, nor of his arrival at Sharjah, Siya sources have confirmed that the former Borussia Dortmund, Everton and Tottenham man is now in the UAE.
Pienaar has become one of a handful of South Africans to obtain a UEFA Pro License – the highest coaching qualification in world football – having achieved the feat in June last year. He joins the likes of Benni McCarthy, Owen da Gama and Eric Tinkler as South African coaches with the UEFA Pro License.
