Manyisa recalls Owen da Gama refusing to let him train at Pirates

Oupa Manyisa has revealed that former Orlando Pirates coach Owen da Gama sent him back home when he first arrived at the club for training.

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Manyisa came through the Africa Sport Youth Development Academy that was co-founded by Harold Legodi. He was scouted by Screamer Tshabalala to join the Buccaneers in 2008.

Da Gama was clearly not aware that Manyisa had been recruited by Pirates and refused to let him train with the senior team on his first day at the Soweto giants.

“When I got to Pirates, on the first day for my first training session, Coach Owen da Gama said ‘my guy I don’t know you, who signed you? You can’t train,’”Manyisa said on Izinja zeGame podcast that is hosted by Josta Dladla.

“So I called Jazzy Queen (Harold Legodi) to tell him I was turned away at training. I took a taxi back to the academy. He called the office and they called Owen da Gama to ask him what happened and told him that this boy is going back to training tomorrow because he’s a Pirates player. The following day when I got to training he said ‘my boy you’re back’ even today he tells people that he signed me when I was young.”

The former Pirates skipper recalled being booed on his second game for Pirates and was relegated to the bench before eventually breaking into the team in his second season under Dutch coach Ruud Krool.

“I only played two games that season (2009) and didn’t play again. It was under Ruud Krol, I played a league game against Golden Arrows and the MTN8 Cup game against Ajax at Ellis Park,” Manyisa recalls.

“In that game, I was substituted at half time because the supporters were booing me. It was frustrating but luckily for me when I was going training, I would catch a taxi and when I was walking one day Dona (Teko Modise) saw me and gave me a lift to training.

“On the way, he encouraged me not to worry and that my time is coming. At training the same thing happened with Joseph Makhanya who is also from the West Rand. He would also say the same thing so I was lucky to be surrounded by the older guys.

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“Even during training Benson Mhlongo would tell me he doesn’t want to see me at the back but I must be in front. So I felt like they saw something in me and I didn’t want to disappoint them. I was supposed to go on loan to Platinum Stars and I think Ruud Krol refused.”