Former Orlando Pirates defender Edward Motale has explained why he believes the early announcement of Jose Riveiro’s departure had no impact on the club losing out on three titles.
The Spaniard has been granted an early release from his contract, which was originally set to run until the end of June 2025.
Initially, Pirates had announced in April that Riveiro would be stepping down at the end of the season. At the time, Pirates were vying for the Betway Premiership, Nedbank Cup and the CAF Champions League.
But since the announcement, the Buccaneers have experienced a poor run of results, winning only three of their last eight matches. They were also eliminated from the CAF Champions League in the semi-finals and lost the Nedbank Cup final to rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
EDWARD MOTALE ON WHY JOSE RIVEIRO’S ANNOUNCEMENT DIDN’T AFFECT PIRATES’ PERFORMANCES
The Buccaneers’ chase for the league title is as good as gone, as rivals Sundowns now need only one point to clinch their eighth successive league title. The league title could also be confirmed by Tuesday when Pirates meet Golden Arrows at the Orlando Stadium.
“No, I don’t think there was an impact because of the announcement. There was nothing like that,” Motale told FARPost.
“I feel that our players just relaxed too much. So what demoralised them is not the coach’s departure. After they realised that Sundowns had all but won the league title, that’s where everything dropped psychologically and mentally.
“They began to lose focus after they realised that the league was gone. So you needed a psychologist at that moment. Even now, when the coach leaves, they still need a psychologist who can help them mentally because losing these cups will also affect some of them.”
The ex-Pirates captain added: “We can’t shift the focus and blame the coach. The coach has done well. It’s good to announce early that the coach is leaving. We used to be caught by surprise for the longest time. It was good for the club to keep us in the know that the coach will not be coming back.
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