Former Orlando Pirates and Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro has opened up on his decision to leave the Buccaneers for a project in North Africa, revealing one element that left him unhappy.
The Spanish mentor left Pirates in May 2025, before the expiry of his contract in June, to join Al Ahly, aiming to bring his rich vein of form and cup-winning pedigree to the Egyptian giants.
Riveiro spent three seasons with the Soweto giants after initially joining the club in July 2022 as a relatively unknown coach. In his three seasons with Pirates, Riveiro went on to guide the team to five trophies and established them as cup specialists in South African football.
They won three successive MTN8 titles and clinched two Nedbank Cup trophies under Riveiro’s spell with the Sea Robbers. In addition, Pirates finished as runners-up in the Betway Premiership for the past three seasons behind Mamelodi Sundowns. The Buccaneers also reached the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League under Riveiro.
During Riveiro’s time at Pirates, the club played some entertaining brand of football and attracted a big crowd at their home venue, Orlando Stadium.
RIVEIRO CLARIFIES HIS EXIT FROM ORLANDO PIRATES
The 50-year-old left Pirates towards the end of the last season with a handful of matches left to play. Speaking on Metro FM with Andile Ncube, Riveiro clarified his departure from the Ghosts, revealing that he was unhappy with Al Ahly making him leave Pirates before the end of the season.
Riveiro has since been fired by the Egyptian giants after struggling for form in the early stages of the 2025/26 campaign in the Egyptian Premier League. The highly-rated tactician went out of the exit door after hardly three months at the helm at Al Ahly.
“I’m not used to looking back in life; it [joining Al Ahly] was a decision that was made in certain circumstances,” Riveiro said.
“So to think about it now, it doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know if people understood the nature of my decision at that time, but I didn’t leave Pirates because of the move to Ahly. It was the decision that was made a long time ago.
“The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that I had to move before the season ended. I wasn’t happy about that, and it was a must [to join Al Ahly immediately].”
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