LISTEN: Pirates’ heads held high, Chiefs reach for the handbook of excuses

Orlando Pirates finally got the better of Kaizer Chiefs this weekend, after a series of defeats to the old enemy, continuing an increasingly impressive debut season for the Buccaneers head coach Jose Riveiro.

It is the Buccaneers who will face Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup final, following their 2-1 extra time win over Amakhosi, while Chiefs have now gone eight seasons without a piece of Premier Soccer League silverware, a deeply embarrassing statistic for a club of their stature.

Arthur Zwane believes his side have been better than previous trophy-less incarnations, while he also gave an utterly bizarre excuse for Chiefs‘ celebrations when they were drawn against Pirates in the Nedbank Cup semifinals.

Over-confidence?

Zwane’s reasoning has been well-documented, but many quite reasonably still see their actions as Chiefs over-confidently believing another win over the Buccaneers was more than on the cards.

Now Chiefs have little left to play for this season, with even a runners-up spot in the DStv Premiership all-but out of their reach. It is Pirates instead who sit in pole position to finish second and if they can do that, and win the Nedbank Cup, Riveiro will complete a wonderful campaign in charge.

In this week’s Ballz to the Wall podcast, Phakaaathi editor Jonty Mark, along with Phakaaathi football writer Tshepo Ntsoelengoe, looks back at the Nedbank Cup semifinals, and looks ahead to the last two rounds of DStv Premiership fixtures, as well as Mamelodi Sundowns’ Caf Champions League semifinal against Wydad Casablanca.

You can listen to the latest Ballz to the Wall Podcast right here: