Orlando Pirates players were close to Josef Zinnbauer – Fadlu Davids

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids says it’s disappointing that Josef Zinnbauer has resigned as head coach of the club.

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Zinnbauer vacated his position on Monday, two days after watching Pirates succumb to a 2-1 loss to rivals Swallows in the MTN8.

And Davids has revealed that the club and the players were shocked by the departure of the German mentor who had been in charge of Pirates since December 2019.

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Nonetheless, Davids said Zinnbauer’s resignation prompted them to immediately press the reset button and focus more on the task at hand.

Pirates take on Stellenbosch FC in their opening league game of the season on Saturday, and Davids said that’s where their focus is right now.

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“When a coach resigns, it’s really disappointing. The club is shocked, the players were shocked,” Davids told the media on Wednesday.

“But it’s immediately setting that reset button, and then looking forward.

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“What stares us in the face is Stellenbosch and it’s really important we have a good start to the new season,” he revealed.

Davids further revealed that the majority of the Pirates players were shocked because they had a close relationship with Zinnbauer.

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But he added that they had to quickly put their emotions aside and get back to the real work on the same day.

“A lot of players were close to the coach, he had a good relationship with them,” he added.

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“So, immediately, they had to take the news, and get back onto the training field.

“It’s about making that switch; putting your emotions aside, and looking forward to what we are working for,” added Davids.

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