‘People voted for him’: Riveiro refuses to take credit for Vilakazi’s rise 

Carling All-Stars coach Jose Riveiro has refused to take credit for the emergence of Kaizer Chiefs’ teen star Mfundo Vilakazi after his impressive performance in the previous Carling Black Label Cup tournament.

The 19-year-old captured the spotlight when the All-Stars team triumphed over Stellenbosch FC 2-1 in the last Carling Cup competition held at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, in January this year.

To put a cherry on top, the youngster made his mark by scoring just four minutes into the match, with the other goal coming from his teammate Ashley Du Preez eight minutes after the restart. Mervin Boji scored the consolation goal for Stellies in the dying minutes of the showdown.

Riveiro served as the head coach of the All-Stars team when Vilakazi stole the show which thrust him into the limelight, and the Orlando Pirates mentor will continue to be the coach when his team take on Magesi FC, the reigning champions of the Carling Knockout Cup.

The game between the All-Stars and Dikwena tsa Meetse will take place at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday, 21 December. The match will start at 15h30.

JOSE RIVEIRO COMMENTS ON KAIZER CHIEFS’ MFUNDO VILAKAZI’S RISE

Riveiro mentioned that he shouldn’t be applauded for Vilakazi’s rise, as he wasn’t the one who chose him but rather the fans who voted for him.

“Well, I think we have to contextualise that situation. Mfundo was there first because the people were voting for him to be there. It wasn’t a coach selection,” said Riveiro during the Carling Cup press conference.

“It could have been nice for me to say that I was there when it all started. But, the reality is that Mfundo was there because people voted for him.

“He was on the field because the people wanted him to be there and I think the boy answered in a really good manner on the day.”

At the weekend, ‘Obrigado’, as he is affectionately known, will start the game on the bench as per the votes by the champion fans.

In addition, more than 4.5 million votes were cast by the fans this time around, which is more than the previous tournament’s votes.

The All-Stars team assembled for camp on Thursday, 19 December, ahead of the match on Saturday.

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