Riveiro afraid of suspension if he lifts the lid on Champions League ’lessons’
After being bundled out of the CAF Champions League by Jwaneng Galaxy, Jose Riveiro has chosen to be mum about what he learned in Orlando Pirates’ brief sojourn, in fear of being ‘suspended’.
Riveiro, in a somber mood, was reluctant to elaborate further, leaving everyone in the press conference room at Orlando Stadium gobsmacked by his comment.
However, his utterances suggest that he got the message that the gruesome CAF Champions League is not for the faint-hearted on and off the field.
The tie finished 1-1 on aggregate as the Soweto giants won the second leg following a 1-0 defeat away to Galaxy in Botswana a fortnight ago. Galaxy, led by the South African-born Morena Ramoreboli, are through to the Champions League group stages.
Riveiro was in no mood to discuss his unpleasant first-time experience in the Champions League. “If I say what I learned, I get suspended, probably. So I will try to keep quiet,” he said after the 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to Galaxy.
Riveiro on CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: ‘IT IS COMPLICATED’
“Like I used to say, that’s part of your [media] job. It’s your role to talk about the truth of things and to do deep analysis about a lot of things that happen during the games. But you will not do it, and I will not do it as well.
“It is a difficult competition, let’s put it that way. I learned that it is a difficult competition. There are a lot of things that we were supposed to control as a coach and football players.
“But it is difficult, let’s leave it there. It is complicated,” added Riveiro.
Pirates must quickly pick themselves up after their Champions League exit, as they face Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final in Durban next Saturday, 07 October 2023.
The Pirates tactician also shouldered the blame for the club’s shock exit from the Champions League and said there’s no time to mourn this result.
“A difficult night. Not acceptable, this team is built and prepared to go to the Champions League group stage,” he added. “So we can’t accept this result and say ‘we’re unlucky’. Nobody feels proud of the result.
“We have to accept it, analyse it, and take responsibility for the defeat. The coach more than anybody else. And we need to do a proper reflection about our participation in this competition because obviously, it wasn’t good enough.”
RELATED STORY: Jose Riveiro pinpoints ‘most difficult thing in football’