What Jose Riveiro said about supporters booing Evidence Makgopa
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has commented on the persisting trend of the club supporters booing players as Evidence Makgopa.
Makgopa was leading the striking force for Pirates as they drew 1-1 against Polokwane City in the DStv Premiership on Friday night in front of their home fans. However, the striker was booed at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The Buccaneers played their second successive draw in the league after being held to a goalless draw by AmaZulu FC at Moses Mabhida Stadium last Tuesday.
Pirates last tasted a league victory on the 29th of August 2023 when they beat Cape Town City 2-0 at Orlando Stadium.
Meanwhile, Makgopa has been the preferred striker in the last three games for Pirates in the absence of Zakhele Lepasa who sustained an injury while on national duty with Bafana Bafana.
Lepasa had a flying start to the 2023/24 campaign after scoring 10 goals in 14 outings in all competitions. On the other hand, Makgopa is struggling to find his goal-scoring boots after netting just one goal in the CAF Champions League.
The former Baroka FC talisman struggled to pose any threat at Polokwane City which saw supporters run out of patience and booing him.
JOSE RIVEIRO CALLS FOR MORE SUPPORT ON MAKGOPA
His coach Jose Riveiro has shared his thoughts on the growing trend of Pirates supporters booing their players.
“I think for a 23-year-old guy like Evidence [Makgopa] who’s playing his first games for Pirates, it’s important to feel that we support him,” said Riveiro.
“And when I say we, I mean all of us, the coaching staff, his teammates and the fans. So it goes without saying that the atmosphere is supportive.
“We play with a lot of young players nowadays and it’s important that we protect them because we all get the benefit of that. If whoever is in the number nine position feels that we trust him, it’s going to be much more easy to score goals.
“At the same time, we are all professionals and we have to handle the heat, if you can’t handle the heat, you better get out of the kitchen.
“So we have to accept it and players try to do things as good as possible. I remember last season we had a similar situation with one of our strikers [Terrence Dzvukamanja].
“He came on with few minutes to go, we were 1-1 against Golden Arrows and suddenly he scored a goal and gave us three points, the people got quiet.
“Makgopa came close to scoring a second goal [against PLK City], so it’s a good signal that even though things were not easy for him, he continued trying. He wants to show everyone around that he’s a good player and he has the level to play for Pirates.”
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