Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane has insisted African teams must mostly hire coaches from within the continent.

The South African said the only exception where foreigners should be appointed is when such coaches have shown exemplary performances and achievements with their previous teams.

Mosimane made the statement in response to a Twitter post that quoted Burkina Faso's head coach Kamou Malo - whose side lost in the semi-final against Senegal on Wednesday.

"Africa must start employing Africans. I have been preaching that. Unless the person from another continent shows us the trophies he won in his career. Period," the Caf Champions League-winning coach said.

"Take the example of music, rugby, cricket, etc."

Malo and Aliou Cisse are among the African coaches whose sides participated in the ongoing Afcon showpiece. Burkina Faso and Senegal met for the third time in tournament history during Wednesday's semi-final game in Yaounde before the former was eliminated in a 3-1 defeat at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

Cisse's Senegal - who booked a second final ticket in a row - have now won six of their last seven knock-out matches at Afcon, keeping four clean sheets and conceding just twice – with their defeat in 2019 final, against Algeria (1-0). They will wait to know their ultimate opponent after Thursday's game pitting Cameroon against record champions Egypt.

Mosimane, who has served as both the head coach and an assistant coach for Bafana Bafana, is considered one of the most successful coaches in South Africa.

The 57-year-old- tactician lifted five Premier Soccer League titles with Mamelodi Sundowns and a Caf Champions League title in 2016. He left his position at the Pretoria club in 2020 before he was appointed Al Ahly head coach, becoming the first non-Egyptian African to occupy the post.

At Al Ahly, he has continued with an impressive coaching run after he led the Egyptian side to their ninth Champions League title in 2020 - after a victory against domestic archrivals Zamalek SC - before defending it in 2021 after beating Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa 3-0.

Following their Champions League success last year, Mosimane and Al Ahly will participate in the Fifa Club World Cup and will open their campaign with a game against Mexico's Monterrey on Sunday.