Josephs says Pirates better at Instagram ‘crap’ than playing soccer

The Bidvest Wits goalkeeper says the Buccaneers should sign Steven Pienaar to show them what a “real star” is.

Pirates finished outside the top eight this season for the first time in the Premier Soccer League era and Josephs clearly still feels strongly about a club he represented for five seasons, winning two league titles and several knockout trophies.

Pienaar is a free agent after English Premier League side Sunderland let him go at the end of the 2016/17 season.

He was already linked with a move to Pirates before joining Sunderland.

“‘Schillo’ (Pienaar) is a big Orlando Pirates supporter. Big, big, big, massive, massive,” said Josephs, who won another league title this season with Wits.

“I think he can bring that spark back to Pirates, I am vouching for Steven to come to Orlando Pirates. Pirates need a player like him, not these players who are Instagram players … they need a player like Steven Pienaar, a real star to come and turn things around for Pirates again.

“Many of these (current) players are Instagram stars, they are not doing the business for Pirates. There isn’t pride any more for the team, they are not playing for the team, for the Ghost, for the ancestors, as they say. They are playing for Instagram. Whatever they are doing at training is done for Instagram; that is crap.

“Bring the stars, the real stars, that is what Benni (McCarthy) did for us at Pirates, they brought a big star and he turned Pirates around for us.

“I am emotional (about this) … I love Orlando Pirates, they have been good to me, they gave me a stepping stone to play on the biggest stage and to see the players now doing what they are doing, representing the team like they are, with the fans hungry for success … I don’t care if they win the Nedbank Cup, with the type of football they are playing, the way they are going about losing games, and the next day they are on Instagram as if nothing has happened. That pisses me off, a team like Pirates needs more than that, there is not enough pride.”