Former Pirates captain weighs in on Patrick Maswanganyi’s behaviour
Former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi has weighed in on Patrick Maswanganyi’s behaviour following the elbow incident and arguing with the opposition’s assistant coach.
The incident happened during Pirates’ 3-1 win over SuperSport United in the MTN8 quarter-final showdown on Saturday, 03 August 2024, at a packed Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
Goals from Olisa Ndah, Monnapule Saleng and Evidence Makgopa were enough for the Buccaneers to cruise into the MTN8 semis. In contrast, Vincent Pule, who was with Pirates for years, scored the only goal for Matsatsantsa on his debut.
The intensity of the game skyrocketed to such an extent that ‘Tito’, as he is popularly known within football circles, found himself embroiled in heated exchanges with opposition players and their assistant coach, Andre Arendse. The incident, which saw Maswanganyi elbow SuperSport United’s Gape Moralo, ignited a firestorm of emotions on the pitch.
LUCKY LENKGWATHI’S ADVICE TO PATRICK MASWANGANYI
Sea Robbers legend Lekgwathi has offered advice to the talented attacking midfielder, citing that the 26-year-old should take what happened as a learning curve moving forward.
“I think, let me care for him. You know, in football, you make mistakes, and you learn from your mistakes,” Lekgwathi told FARPost.
“I think he was lucky not to have received a red card. So, I believe that for him, it was a learning curve that in football, other people mustn’t intimidate you.
“You know, intimidation can ruin your game or your career. It’s like it’s a cup game, and you get a red card, and the team loses, and the supporters start hating you or booing you. In the end, it’s not going to be good.”
Lekgwathi went on to state that Maswanganyi is a “good player” who boasts “leadership qualities” and needs to lead by example in the field of play.
“He is a good player, and one season, he becomes a senior player, and he has got leadership qualities. So, he must always lead by example,” he added.
“At some point, people were complaining about his showboating. But the good thing about him is that he is showboating on the right position and right time.”
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