Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has outlined the crucial role his assistant coach, Mandla Ncikazi, plays in his own success as a foreign coach and in the team’s overall performance.
Riveiro heaped praise on Ncikazi after Pirates retained their title as the cup kings of SA football in recent years as they added another chapter to their history by becoming the first club to win the MTN8 for three consecutive seasons.
The Top 8 trophy is the fifth the Soweto giants, under Riveiro with Ncikazi by his side, have won. Remarkably, Riveiro has yet to suffer defeat in a final in the PSL.
Riveiro credits Ncikazi with providing him invaluable insights into the local game and South African culture. The Spaniard emphasised the importance of local knowledge for foreign coaches, highlighting Ncikazi’s extensive experience as a valuable resource for understanding the unique aspects of the local game, including the culture, players, and opponents.
Ncikazi, a respected figure in South African football with over two decades of coaching experience at clubs like Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United [now Durban City FC], joined Pirates in 2021. He previously served as co-head coach alongside Fadlu Davids before Riveiro’s arrival.
JOSE RIVEIRO HIGHLIGHTS MANDLA NCIKAZI’S IMPORTANCE
“Mandla’s role, like many others in the [Pirates] staff, is important for an outsider like me, for a foreign coach coming to [a foreign country],” said Riveiro. “I know the game is the same wherever you go. Football is football, but every country and league has different particularities. South African football has its own identity, and that is something you need to learn as soon and as quickly as you can as a foreign coach and the better for you and the team.
“So people like Mandla, a coach that has been around for a long time in South African football, playing and coaching, he knows the space very well. So it gives you the opportunity to learn quickly about the place where you are to understand a little bit better the people, footballers as human beings, the opponents and many other things.
“It is not only about football knowledge; everyone in the coaching staff has something to put on the table, to contribute, but for me, as a foreign coach, it is very important to be surrounded by local people, people that can tell you and teach you about the culture…
The Bucs tactician added that mutual adaptation is essential for successful integration in a foreign country. He reiterated the importance of SA football and his players adapting to his coaching style and personality.
“It is also my responsibility to get used to the place where I am, to adapt and understand the people. It is not smart to go to a foreign country and not want to learn,” he admitted. “But they also need to adapt to me as a coach and human being because of my position.
“…Human relationships are important in order for one to adapt. Well, Mandla is doing a good job in that sense, and he has been very respectful with me personally and with me as a coach. he corporates in order to do what we need as a team and at the end of the day, we all have the same objectives which is winning games.”
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