Winning farewell for Orlando Pirates' Spanish coach Riveiro / Photo: © AFP
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Winning farewell for Orlando Pirates' Spanish coach Riveiro
Spaniard Jose Riveiro received a fitting farewell on Tuesday as coach of Orlando Pirates, who kept their slim South African Premiership title hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Golden Arrows.
Goals from Tshegofatso Mabasa in the opening half, and Bandile Shandu and Kabelo Dlamini within five minutes midway through the second half earned the dominant Buccaneers a comfortable win.
Leaders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns have 67 points with two matches to play and second-placed Pirates 55 with four fixtures remaining.
If Sundowns lose both games and Pirates win all four, the clubs will finish level on points and goal difference will decide who are crowned champions.
Sundowns have a plus 47 goal difference and Pirates a plus 22, leaving the odds stacked in favour of the Pretoria outfit winning an eighth consecutive league title.
The two-club title chase could end in coastal city East London on Wednesday with Sundowns needing one point away to mid-table Chippa United to take an unassailable lead.
A cold, late autumn night at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, belonged to 49-year-old Riveiro, who is not renewing his contract after a three-year stint.
His appointment in 2022 after working in Finland was not warmly welcomed with many Pirates supporters labelling him a "plumber", a local term for an unsuccessful coach.
But he soon silenced his critics with a calm, thoughtful approach and led a club formed in 1937 to five knockout competition victories. They were also runners-up in the past two Premierships.
Pirates chairman and Premiership boss Irvin Khoza told the South African media that Riveiro had "signed for another club" without naming it.
When AFP asked Riveiro where he was heading, the Spaniard said "I wish I could tell you, but a confidentiality clause prevents me doing so now. You will know soon."
Local media reports have linked Riveiro with Egyptian and African giants Al Ahly, who recently sacked Swiss coach Marcel Koller after losing to Sundowns in a CAF Champions League semi-final.
"I will look back at my time with Pirates and in South Africa as special," said the coach, who Pirates agreed to release before his contract expired next month.
"There are so many things I will miss about this beautiful country. I love Pirates' players, my technical team, the officials and the fantastic supporters who, I believe, also love me."
F.Müller--BTB
