Jose Riveiro, the head coach of the Orlando Pirates, won his team’s first championship since moving to South Africa four months ago, and he doesn’t consider the MTN8 victory as payback for the naysayers who surrounded him when he first arrived.
At the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night, the Buccaneers defeated AmaZulu 1-0 to win their fourth MTN8 trophy since 2008.
Before winning their second MTN8 championship in three years, The Sea Robbers defeated Royal AM and then Mamelodi Sundowns. The victory could portend a shift in Riveiro’s hegemony on the domestic front.
After his team’s triumph, the Spanish coach cut a cheery figure for the media. With his team’s recent triumph, he dispelled any notions that he would be placating his detractors. He then proceeded to express gratitude to the club’s management for their confidence in him.
“This is no response to anyone, I’m here to do my job and I’m a professional football coach and I’m prepared to do that job that’s why I was handed the opportunity,” said Riveiro.
“I’m just a coach at the club, there’s a lot of things that go into making a club a success, of course I have the responsibility and maybe I am in the spotlight but like I’ve said in the past, I cannot control the situation (critics) therefore I don’t spend time thinking about it ”
“I just see this as a great opportunity to be part of this beautiful club and I also want to take the chance to thank my bosses for giving me an opportunity to represent a brand like Pirates.”
