Hlatshwayo apologises to Orlando Pirates, asks for time off to sort himself out

Orlando Pirates captain, Thulani Hlatshwayo is said to have manned up to his mistakes and apologised to his teammates and technical team.

ALSO READ: Orlando Pirates already seeking Zinnbauer replacement

Hlatshwayo’s mistakes – an own goal against Swallows and and a misplaced pass that led to a goal against Mamelodi Sundowns – cost the Buccaneers dearly.

He was protected by his coach, Josef Zinnbauer who said he had been overloaded. But he has also manned up and apologised, claimed a source.

“He is such a fantastic guy and everyone felt so bad for him to have to go through such unfortunate incidents. He apologised to the team and everyone accepted his apology and offered their full support for him.

“He also asked for some time out, but it wouldn’t have looked good for him to be immediately dropped so he was picked for the (Black) Leopards game. He might be rested for the next game,” said the source.

Meanwhile, as reported earlier, Pirates have already started looking at possible candidates should they fire current coach, Josef Zinnbauer after yet another tepid season.

In his second season, a lot was expected from Zinnbauer, especially in the league but Pirates, though they did win the MTN*, are technically out of the race for DStv Premiership and could also lose out on a place in continental competition next season.

This has not sat well with the club’s management, according to Phakaaathi sources. This is why they are already looking at other options and asking about their availability.