New Pirates recruit happy to accept ‘smaller salary’ – report

Last week, Orlando Pirates officially announced the signing of Ndumiso Mabena and Craig Martin. Mabena returns to the place he called home between 2009 and 2014 before going on to play for Platinum Stars, Bloemfontein Celtic and then recently Royal AM.

The 35-year-old joins the Buccaneers on a one and a half season deal.

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While there might have been some doubts about handing a contract to such a veteran player, a Phakaaathi source has suggested Mabena would have done anything to earn another opportunity at Pirates, including even accepting a “lower salary”.

“He is just happy to be part of Pirates, that’s a fact. He loves the club so much and he believes that he can offer them a lot. And that’s besides not playing, he loves the youngsters and sees what coach Jose Riveiro is doing…” said the source.

“For him it is not about money, but playing for a club that he loves. He wants to contribute to the success of the team.”

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Mabena recently reiterated how grateful he was for another opportunity with Pirates after his contract dispute with Royal AM.

“With all that was happening with me and Royal AM, we had to go through a lot. But the chairman (Irvin Khoza) opted to take me back and he said to get a contract here I must give him my clearance and see how we work it out.

“I was happy, I couldn’t say no to him after what I had gone through and what I had gone through with the team with all the silverware before.”

The DStv Premiership has been on a mid-season break as the FIFA World Cup has been playing out in Qatar, but local league action will soon get back under way. As it stands, Sundowns, Richards Bay, SuperSport United, Chiefs and Pirates occupy the top five spots on the league log.

Teams have already begun to return to training as preparation begins for an incredibly busy set of fixtures heading into the new year.

Notably, Pirates will return to action with a blockbuster battle against Sundowns on 30 December (kick-off at 15:30), while Chiefs will take on eighth-placed Golden Arrows on Saturday, 31 December (kick-off at 15:30).

Here are the fixtures you can look forward to at the end of December:

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HERE’S A REMINDER WHERE THE LIKES OF CHIEFS, PIRATES AND SUNDOWNS SIT IN THE TOP HALF OF THE LOG: