Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer dedicates MTN 8 title to his son

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has dedicated the club’s MTN8 title to his son Fabio, who continues to fight for his life in Germany.

PIRATES WON THEIR 10TH MTN 8 TITLE

The Buccaneers beat Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium to win their 10th MTN 8 title in the tournament which was first contested back in 1972.

Fabio Zinnbauer’s recovery from a horrific car accident has been well documented since his father abruptly left South Africa after the MTN8 semi-final first leg against Kaizer Chiefs back in October.

Josef Zinnbauer returned to lead Pirates into the MTN 8 final with a second-leg victory over their Soweto rivals and over the weekend delivered the club’s first trophy in six years.

READ | JOSEF ZINNBAUER SINGLES OUT 2 PLAYERS FOR PRAISE

Post-match, Zinnbauer expressed his delight at the achievement, but also spared a thought for his 24-year-old son who remains in a stable condition in a coma. 

“I have to say, for me personally, this is a title for my son Fabio. It is a difficult time for my whole family and I came back to Africa, so personally this for me is for my son. I hope we get him back,” said Zinnbauer.

“You know the private things are private, I hope you understand this, but I can say that Fabio is [still] in a coma, he’s better than before in [the fight for his] life.

“This is important for us, the next weeks and months, we have to wait and see what happens.

“At the end of the day, I think we deserved to win and we earned this title. I’m happy for the supporters, the club, the squad, and thank you for the team, who made a very good job.”