‘I don’t know how to say it without giving you a headline’: Riveiro on Maswanganyi’s absence
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has commented on the absence of Patrick Maswanganyi in the game against Al Ahly at a packed Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
The Buccaneers welcomed the reigning African champions at their Soweto base in a Group C CAF Champions League clash.
It ended in a goalless draw leaving both teams sitting on four points after each winning their opening group matches. Ahly beat Stade D’Abidjan 4-2, while the South African giants edged Algeria’s CR Belouizdad 2-1 courtesy of a Mohau Nkota brace.
The Bucs fan favourite, Maswanganyi, sat in the stands for the clash against the 12-time champions. This was only the second time the 26-year-old has missed an official match for the club this season. The only other fixture he missed was a Betway Premiership encounter against TS Galaxy in October.
The former SuperSport United midfielder has played 17 matches across all competitions and scored one goal. Interestingly, the man nicknamed ‘Tito’ was part of the team that trained at Orlando on Friday morning.
With Maswanganyi in the stands, Monnapule Saleng made a return to the starting line -up after missing the last six games. On the other hand, Relebohile Mofokeng played in an unfamiliar 10 role.
WHAT JOSE RIVEIRO SAID ABOUT PATRICK MASWANGANYI
When asked about the decision to drop the Bafana Bafana midfielder, Riveiro said, “he was not available for selection”.
“For reasons that I cannot speak about, today he was not available for selection,” he told journalists. “Like I said many times, I don’t feel that I have the right to speak about anybody’s health.
“Only, maybe about mine. He was not available for selection to the 20 [players], and I don’t think we have any reason to… I don’t know how to say it without giving you a headline.
“After this performance to be sitting here and talking about one player that didn’t play is a little bit disappointing for me.
“We have to talk about the game that Monnapule [Saleng], Rele [Relebohile Mofokeng, and [Mohau] Nkota played. They did a fantastic job; it was an excellent match…. Just to answer your question, he was not available for selection.”
Meanwhile, the result means Ahly are top of the group while the Buccaneers are second. The Soweto giants will now make a trip to Ivory Coast to face Stade D’Abidjan on Saturday next week.
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