Jose Riveiro has spoken out about the disturbing violence that occurred at Orlando Stadium after the fiercely contested CAF Champions League clash between his Orlando Pirates troops and MC Alger on Wednesday night.
Chaos erupted on the pitch, creating a whirlwind of flying kicks, punches, and frantic scrambles. Some players sought refuge, while others rushed into the fray. Amidst this pandemonium, Riveiro, appearing bewildered on the Pirates’ bench, took it upon himself to quell the escalating aggression among his team.
Due to the outbreak of physical altercations, Pirates could not celebrate their progression to the Champions League semi-finals peacefully.
After securing a 1-0 aggregate victory over the Algerian side, following a goalless draw in the second-leg in Soweto, the celebratory atmosphere quickly soured. MC Alger’s players and staff reacted angrily to the defeat, initially directing their frustration at the referee, Ibrahim Traore.
When Pirates’ security attempted to protect the officials, physical confrontations erupted between the personnel of both clubs. Despite Pirates’ pleas for a peaceful resolution, the situation escalated as MC Alger’s team continued their aggression. The South African Police Service’s [SAPS] attempts to control the brawl proved ineffective, prompting Pirates’ fans to enter the pitch, further intensifying the chaos.
Tensions had been mounting towards the end of the match, with MC Alger fans clashing with security guards on the stands.
RIVEIRO REACTS TO ORLANDO STADIUM VIOLENCE: ‘THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE’
Pirates coach Riveiro has strongly condemned the violent scenes that marred the match in Orlando, labeling the incidents as ‘unacceptable.’
“I don’t really know what happened,” said Riveiro. “Probably we are going to the space to know who started the fight. I think it doesn’t matter for me, for us, or for my group; football is something special. It is something that cannot get dirty with this type of behaviour, which is something unacceptable.
“Whatever happened, probably everybody was making mistakes outside, but those behaviours must be as far as possible from these types of spectacles, far from sport because we don’t really need it. We have to learn how to win, and we have to learn how to lose, we have to accept the result, whatever is coming.”
Riveiro also admitted that he was caught off guard by the sudden eruption of violence, stating that he was still processing the massive victory over Alger.
This incident follows a worrying trend of fan violence by North African teams in recent CAF matches, including confrontations between Esperance and Mamelodi Sundowns fans in Pretoria and Zamalek SC and Stellenbosch FC supporters in Cape Town.
“And again, I don’t really know what happened because I was just sitting on the bench when everything started. I was trying to understand the dimension of what we had just achieved a few seconds before, and all of a sudden, everything was a mess in front of me,” he added.
“We will see some sad pictures, and I hope that the people who find themselves in those pictures feel embarrassed enough not to repeat it again, and we can just have a normal football game every time we come to a football game.
“Our fans are a good example all around the world of what a football game means, the way to come to the stadium, enjoying it with a good spirit, and being in a good mood, and that’s it. Like I said, I don’t want to say much because I don’t have all the information right now, but hopefully it is the last time that we see this type of scene in Orlando.”
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