Mofokeng wants Riveiro to stay at Pirates

Orlando Pirates starlet Relebohile Mofokeng has pleaded with his coach Jose Riveiro not to leave the Buccaneers when the Spainiard’s contract expires.

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Riveiro, who joined Pirates in 2022 on a three-year contract, will see his deal expire at the end of the current season.

Successul stay for Riveiro

Riveiro has had a successful stay at the Buccaneers so far, winning five trophies in his two and a half year stay at the club. On Saturday he became the first coach in the Premier Soccer League era to win the MTN8 three times in a row when the Buccaneers came back from a goal down to emerge 3-1 victors over Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 final.

At the beginning of the current season, there was speculation that Riveiro’s contract would not be renewed if he fails to deliver the Betway Premiership or do well in the CAF Champions League.

Mofokeng, who has become one of the key players at Pirates under Riverio and has even earned himself a spot in the Bafana Bafana set-up under him,  does not want the Spanish coach to leave.    

“The only important thing is we work and get along well together, so, I will be happy he stayed for an extended time,” Mofokeng told reports in Durban on Saturday.

“Staying with him is a good thing because he helps us with a lot of things. I would love to stay with him for another season,” added Mofokeng.

Mofokeng, who surprisingly started the game against Stellies on the bench, scored the third goal in the victory against Stellenbosch FC, with Monnapule Saleng and Tshegofatsa Mabasa scoring the other two for the Buccaneers. Lehlohonolo Mojela netted the solitary goal for Stellies.

Pirates’ Mofokeng – ‘It doesn’t mean you won’t play’

The young striker says he was not disheartened by the coach’s decision to start him on the bench and credited the players that started it for making the job easier for him when he came on.

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“The players that started are the ones that wore down Stellenbosch for me to come in and do the simple things. So, when you start on the bench, it doesn’t mean you won’t play, you just have to stay ready,” added Mofokeng.

“I’m grateful to my teammates for helping me score. Tshegofatso Mabasa was the one that passed to me so I could score.”