Pitso showers Orlando Pirates boss Riveiro with praise

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has found an ally in the form of former Mamelodi Sundowns boss Pitso Mosimane.

Riveiro oversaw his side win two Cup finals this season and beat rivals Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United to second place.

Such has been the resurgence of Pirates under Jose Riveiro even Mosimane has taken notice.

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Mosimane is currently in charge of Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia.

Pirates won MTN8 and Nedbank Cup this term

“I must congratulate Orlando Pirates, the coach in his first year won two trophies,” Mosimane said on Power FM.

“I’m very much impressed and I’ve been listening to him speak formations and tactics. He’s spot on and he knows his stuff.

“He knows his stuff, he’s calm, humble and he has done very well. You know my opinion about the European coaches in South Africa. This is what we want to see, value-added,” added Mosimane.

Riveiro was a nominee for the Coach of the Season award which was won by Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena.

Pirates last won the league title during the 2011/12 season when Ruud Krol was still in charge.

JALI GOING HOME?

“Speaking to KwaZulu-Natal radio station, Gagasi FM, (Mike) Makaab did not commit to an exact date when he will be headed to Pirates. ‘Yes, I will be meeting the chairman (Khoza) next week to discuss our clients who are at Pirates’, Makaab said when asked if Jali would be part of those discussions”.

While bringing back a club legend would aid fan support, there is another reason this deal might go through.

“Now, with Makaab heading to Pirates for a meeting, Pirates are expected to table an offer for their former player, who was part of the squad that delivered the double treble for the Buccaneers a couple of years ago” continued report.

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Will Riveiro bring Jali back?

Pirates might need Jali for their fight across multiple competitions which includes another run in the CAF Champions League.

Jali is a product of the Pretoria University where he started life as a pro back in 2007. He joined Pirates two years later before moving to Belgium with K.V Oostende.

In 2018, he joined Sundowns.

Pirates will have to move fast if they want to lure Jali back to Soweto.

Wydad Casablanca are the latest club interested in signing him.

They join up with the likes of Cape Town City and Kaizer Chiefs in the growing list of interested clubs.

That’s a lot of interest for a midfielder that is 33-years-old.

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