Orlando Pirates eThekwini Region Elections.

 

Bucs family, the branch would like to announce that Mr. Thabani T-Man Shandu, the Chairman of the Orlando Pirates eThekwini Region and a member of the Senzo Meyiwa Branch, will no longer run in the elections where he was nominated without opposition to remain in his position as the chairman of the region. 

The chairman and the committee believed it was necessary to remove their names from the list of candidates for the regional elections due to safety concerns.

AN INSIGHT INTO WHO JOSÉ RIVEIRO IS: VESA RAUTIO & YANGA BALISO

Article written by @ThisIsSizweM

Having announced a new coach about a week ago, Orlando Pirates have done it again, surprising the media and football fans with their new head coach using their tactic of playing their cards close to their chest. It was a common knowledge that Pirates was looking for the new coach following the departure of Fadlu Davids who was the team’s co-head coach alongside Mandla Ncikazi.  Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Kaizer Junior were amongst those who were surprised.

With the availability of well experienced local coaches like Pitso Mosimane, Cavin Johnson, Gavin Hunt, Dan Malesela, and fans favourite Benni McCarthy, many expected Pirates to announce at least one of them. However, it is often hard to guess Pirates when it comes to a coach who is likely to join them.

This time around its not a German machine or a Swedish plumber, but a Spaniard coach José Riveiro who is not only new in the PSL, but new in Africa as well and not much is known about him besides that he is another foreign coach.

A Finnish football expert Vesa Rautio described the new Orlando Pirates head coach as a modern coach who can play technical, tactical and fast football.

"FC Inter Turku wanted to have a modern manager who wanted to play technical and tactical, fast football, and ended up signing José Riveiro." 

“Riveiro has been touted as ‘a scientist’ as he is always looking for ways to improve the team’s game by concentrating on small details, trying to get rid of any possible issue found. His background staff are pretty good at this too, and that’s probably why Riveiro brought them to Pirates too".

“They’re a pretty well-oiled machine, having already spent many years together. I have no idea what kind of style of play Pirates used to have, but if Riveiro gets the players to understand where he is aiming with all the details, he probably will make the team better".

“Naturally he’ll need some time to get to know the players and their skill sets before he chooses which of his preferred tactics to use. With Inter Turku he usually played a 3-4-3 formation, which was quite dynamic. If Pirates give him time he will prevail, I’m sure about it.” added Vesa Rautio

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Yanga Baliso who featured for Pargas IF and IFK Mariehamn in Finland over the past two years, gave his assessment of the incoming Pirates coach, his style of play that he brought in the Finland league.

“First of all, Inter is one of the very big teams, so I don’t think he’s someone who won’t know how to handle the egos and everything you know, but the players in Europe are different from the players in South Africa when it comes to egos and personalities you know”.

“I think he’s a very good coach, he knows what he’s doing, of course, he’s Spanish, his style is to be aggressive on the attack and I think he walks into a good team, there are good players at Pirates it just needs a little bit of luck so things can click in together”.

"Riveiro oversaw 102 games with Inter between January 2019 and December 2021, leading them to 56 wins, 13 draws and 33 defeats in the process. He left the country with a sterling reputation despite not winning any major trophy, but the same measure of judgement does not await him in South Africa, especially at a club where the fanbase no longer has the patience for another rebuilding project; results, silverware is immediately expected which makes his arrival all the more fascinating", source. 

Meeting To Elect New Executive Committee.

To: All Senzo Meyiwa Branch Members..

From: Outgoing Chairman, Committee Members 

Subject: Leadership Election

The crucial meeting to elect new executive committee will be held as follows:

Date: Sunday 10 July 2022

Time: 10h00

Venue: To Be Confirmed 

It is important to come in our majority. We will be visited by the leadership of the Region. In the meeting a minimum number of 51 members is compulsory for the process to go ahead.

Let us all make it a priority to attend this meeting.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Reports "Gabadinho Mhango And Orlando Pirates Agreed To Part Ways"

 Orlando Pirates and Gabadinho Mhango on mutual agreement, reportedly agreed to part ways at the end of current DStv Premiership season, Malawi’s newspaper The Nation reported.

According to the report Mhango confirmed to have agreed with Orlando Pirates to release him due to limited game time. “We had a meeting recently, and both parties agreed by mutual consent to part ways. It is a huge relief to me because I was hardly enjoying game time,” Mhango quoted by the newspaper.

 “It has been a stressful season for me, and I can’t wait to move on and, hopefully, this will be a new dawn for my career.” The 29-year-old Malawian international said his manager Mike Makaab was working on finding him a club amid reported interest from Royal AM, Kaizer Chiefs, TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania’s Simba SC. 

“He told me that there are a few clubs that he is talking to, and we are having another meeting today [yesterday] for an update,” Mhango added.

“So, that’s where we are, and I am just waiting to see what will come up at the end of the season.” Other reports suggest that Mhango attracted interest from a top team in Sweden.

Quoted by The Nation newspaper, Football Association of Malawi President Walter Nyamilandu said, Mhango need to move to a club that would grant him an opportunity for regular football.

 “First and foremost, it’s about time because he has been unfairly treated at Pirates. He is not being given game time, and the best for him to grow his career is to part ways with the club and look for greener pastures.

“Gaba is at the peak of his career, and he needs to make the most of it by actively playing so that he can maximise his earnings. It would also help the national cause because he is our top striker. “

SAFA Writes A Letter To Caf Complaining About Simba SC Ritual.

In their second leg of Caf Confederations Cup quarterfinal, Tanzanian side Simba SC travelled away to Johannesburg to face Orlando Pirates in what famously known as the slaughter house, Orlando stadium. 

Players from the visitors side and technical team members just before kickoff, formed a huddle around the centre circle, to which then erupted a smoke in their midst. A flame of what ever that was burning on the grass was caught on camera, and a Pirates official quickly rushing to pour water to put out the fire.

SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe confirmed that SAFA is not happy with the antics of the Tanzanian giants, insisting it was “disrespectful”to the Homeside.

“We have written a formal complaint to CAF and we will be following up,” Motlanthe said on Thursday,” as per TimesLIVE.

“The complaint was that the action we viewed as against the culture. SA has diverse cultural beliefs and what they did, doing that in public, went against some of the cultures, which is unacceptable in this country.

“As far as we respect the cultures of people, that can’t be done. Even in our local league we don’t allow those things.

“And it has the potential of damaging the field and we believe it was not in any way sports-related.

“It was disrespectful and poor sportsmanship.”

Motlanthe, though, insisted that the letter is SAFA’s doing and didn’t come as a request from the Buccaneers.

“It was us. Remember when our clubs play in continental tournaments SAFA will always be involved with the matches — we send a number of people there,” he added.

“The HOD [in continental competition] of Pirates is Gerald Don, who is a SAFA NEC member.”

Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi says Mamelodi Sundowns shop at Woolworths and they buy at Pick n Pay and Spar in reference to the difference in quality.

The CAF Confederation Cup semi-finalists currently sit in fourth place, 18 points behind the champions who wrapped up their fifth consecutive league crown with four games to spare.

And after their 0-0 draw to Chippa United at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday evening, Pirates have now had stalemates in 50% of their 2021/22 league fixtures.

Coach Ncikazi was asked what it would take to stop Sundowns’ dominance next season, to which he suggested the playing fields aren’t level after the pandemic.

“We must cap the… finances [and have] financial fair play because Covid has affected a lot of teams, whether it’s supporters, in terms of revenue and most teams have been affected but Sundowns have not been affected,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“Some teams are playing with development players, getting young players. Most developments were closed, SAFA was closed but Sundowns buys at Woolworths, and we buy at Pick n Pay and Spar.

“If Spar and Pick n Pay are closed we can’t buy, I think it’s a scenario like that, they buy what’s ready, maybe that’s the difference – we just need to be competitive.”

In what appeared to be light-hearted banter, the former Golden Arrows mentor stated that injuries proved to be an achilles heel in their season and warned that the institution is too big to be playing second-fiddle to Masandawana for much longer, citing the stages of success with the likes of Manchester United.

“Pirates are not far off, maybe if we weren’t as unfortunate with injuries we had that weren’t based on muscle injuries, 13 players were injured this season and all of a sudden, you have to try and integrate these players,” he continued.

“There were many challenges, it’s not an excuse but I don’t think it will be the same season next season. This is going to change, it can’t be like this forever, it’s going to change. How it’s going to happen? I can guarantee you it won’t be the same. All teams go through a slump, Manchester United are going through that and they will rise at some point.

“Pirates have had a slump, we’ll rise again. We have to find our own mechanisms, what is it that is the real problem. If it’s the coaches, they must do the right thing, if it’s other things that are not right, it must be sorted. But we must be realistic – what is it that’s the real problem that needs to improve.”

Pirates will be aiming to get back to winning ways when they face TS Galaxy in the league on Monday afternoon at Mbombela Stadium before their 1st leg semi-final against Al Ahli Tripoli in Libya on Sunday.

CAF Confederation Cup 2nd Leg Pirates vs Simba SC

 ☠️ Watch the #TotalEnergiesCAFCC Pre-Match Press Conference

📺 Available on PiratesTV 👉🏿 https://youtu.be/IfWC1hsHnl8 

🏆 2nd Leg QF

⚽️ Orlando Pirates Football Club  🇿🇦 vs Simba SC Tanzania  🇹🇿 

📆 Sunday, 24 April 2022

🏟 Orlando Stadium

🕕 18h00 SAST

📺 SS PSL

🎫 Computicket 

⚫⚪🔴⭐

#OrlandoPirates 

#OnceAlways

Grobler To Pirates Still On The Cards?

Orlando Pirates are believed to have landed the signature of Thulani Hlatshwayo from Bidvest Wits on a five-year deal and Siya sources have since revealed that they have reignited their interest in another one of their long-time transfer targets.

The Bucs have been linked with several players ahead of the transfer window, with the likes of Richard Ofori, Thabang Monare, Brandon Petersen and Deon Hotto all making the list as the Soweto side looks to strengthen their squad for the new season.

Sources have since indicated to the Siya crew that Pirates have now reignited their interest in Bradley Grobler with the source adding that informal enquiries have been made behind the scenes.

It was reported back in March by the Siya crew that the 32-year-old striker’s future would be assessed at the end of the current season, with his representative, Gary Cassisa revealing at the time that SuperSport United had already exercised the added option on his deal in order to keep him at the club until 2022. 

“Look, Brad was promised that he would receive an improved contract from SuperSport, which they haven’t done as yet. The only thing they have done is exercise his option, and based on his current performance there will be clubs interested at the end of the season if SuperSport don’t come to the party. So we’ll see what happens at the end of the season, for now he’s focused on ending this season strongly and helping SuperSport finish as high as possible in the league,” he said at the time.

Grobler has previously been heavily linked with both Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns and as he looks to end the season on a high with 15 goals in all competitions already in the bag, it remains to be seen whether the Bucs will approach SuperSport with an offer for his services.