Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza has sent a heartfelt message appreciation to the club’s faithful supporters following a treble-winning 2025/26 campaign.
The Buccaneers re-established their dominance in South African football by securing a remarkable domestic treble, marking one of the most successful seasons in the club’s modern history.
Pirates’ success came in the Betway Premiership, where they lifted their first league title in 14 years. In doing so, the Sea Robbers successfully ended Mamelodi Sundowns’ formidable eight-year stranglehold on the PSL title.
Under the guidance of Moroccan tactician Abdeslam Ouaddou, Pirates pushed Chloorkop-based outfit all the way in a thrilling title race. The Buccaneers concluded the campaign on 69 points after 30 matches, finishing just a single point ahead of the second-placed Sundowns.
In addition to league glory, Ouaddou’s charges captured the MTN8 title and the Carling Knockout Cup to complete a historic treble-winning campaign.
IRVIN KHOZA APPRECIATES THE BUCCANEERS
An elated Khoza expressed his deep gratitude to the fans, acknowledging their unwavering loyalty during the club’s 14-year league drought.
Khoza also reserved high praise for the club’s youth structure after the Orlando Pirates DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] team won the reserve league title for the first time in the club’s history.
“A season of work, memory and return! By its very nature, football is history-making. Team after team, match after match, season after season, the game creates a record,” said Khoza in a statement released by the club on Tuesday, 26 May.
“What was once carried mainly by memory, media and the stories of the supporters is now preserved, retrieved, debated and tested through search engines and the internet. The past is no longer left behind. It is consumed with the present, informing the voice of supporters who watch, search, remember, compare and speak back to the game.
‘IT WAS NOT LOST ON ME THAT’: IRVIN KHOZA
“It was not lost on me that, in a season in which we won a Treble and the Diski Challenge to boot, one of the dominant themes was: “after a 14-year drought.” In that period, Orlando Pirates won five MTN8 titles, three Nedbank Cups and one Carling Knockout, reached the CAF Champions League final, reached two CAF Confederation Cup finals, and returned to the CAF Champions League semi-finals.
“The consistency of the performance in the last four seasons demonstrates a noteworthy comeback: three PSL league runner-up finishes, three MTN8 titles, two Nedbank Cups, one Carling Knockout, a return to the CAF Champions League semi-finals, and finally the league title itself. The “14-year drought” theme clearly speaks to the premier status of the PSL league title.
“One of the most pleasing features of this season was the increasing return of Orlando Pirates supporters in large numbers. At home at the Amstel Arena and away. This was the visible return of a culture, an event offering, a gathering of belonging, song, colour, memory and expectation.
WHAT IRVIN KHOZA LEARNT FROM THIS TREBLE-WINNING SEASON
“If there is one lesson football has taught me, it is that you cannot dry today’s washing with yesterday’s sun. History is a foundation, not a substitute for present work. It gives us memory, pride and responsibility, but it does not run, tackle, think, sacrifice or win for us. Each season asks its own questions. Each team must answer for its own time. When we work only for ourselves, effort has limits. When we work for something bigger than ourselves, effort becomes duty, sacrifice becomes honour, and success is shared.
“The primary responsibility of a football club is to present a winning team and to win big. Everything else exists in service of that objective. The “everything else” part of Orlando Pirates, largely behind the scenes and invisible to the public, enables the overall success of the team. A successful season is the work of an institution aligned around performance. Also on the field, around the field, in the offices, in the market, locally and abroad. I know that, to most of you, this is beyond a job. The success of this well-supported team is living proof of your dedication to an endeavour bigger than self. I am grateful for your selflessness.
“Thank you, Orlando Pirates Family, for making this a season of work, memory and return.”
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