Former Kaizer Chiefs development coach Farouk Khan has reflected on Patrick Maswanganyi’s Betway Premiership title-winning season with Orlando Pirates, insisting the midfielder was never off-form during the term.
The Buccaneers have just concluded a successful 2025/26 campaign in which they sealed a treble by winning the MTN8, Carling Knockout and the PSL title. It was coach Abdeslam Ouaddou‘s maiden season in charge of the Soweto giants.
But the Moroccan delivered and proved wrong those who doubted him after Pirates were eliminated from the CAF Champions League earlier in the term. Making their season something to cherish is that they ended Mamelodi Sundowns‘ dominance of the PSL.
After eight consecutive years of reigning supreme in the PSL, Sundowns bid for the ninth league title was halted by Pirates. With three key players available for the attacking midfield role, Ouaddou had capable options to give the Buccaneers an edge going forward.
Sipho Mbule started the season on fire, although he fizzled out, and there was Maswanganyi also in the playmaker role. The Pirates coach then converted Relebohile Mofokeng from the wing into an effective number 10, and that limited Maswanganyi’s game time.
However, despite not being a regular starter, the former SuperSport United linkman managed 10 goals and four assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.
Khan does not see Maswanganyi’s inconsistent playing time as a struggle. Commenting to FARPost about a player he coached in development football, Khan likens the midfielder to Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe.
DID OUADDOU STRUGGLE TO MANAGE TITO’S EGO? KHAN’S TAKE ON THE ORLANDO PIRATES STAR
“He is sometimes a misunderstood player. Tito has never been off form. It was just some disconnection with the coach,” Khan told FARPost.
“Sometimes a coach may struggle to manage strong personalities like him. I’m not saying Ouaddou is struggling to deal with Tito, but a player with a big character like him needs extra care.
“It’s normal. Look at great players around the world like Vini and Mbappe at Real Madrid. Because of the high confidence levels or egos of the players, some coaches might not understand them. But if you harness that strength, it could be to your advantage.
“Tito said to the coach that you can’t leave me out, and he might have been misunderstood. Him not starting regularly had nothing to do with form.
“He is always in form. Maybe it was just a matter of interpersonal communication skills between him and the coach. It happens even in big companies where people disagree in different ways.
“We have seen many times that Tito is a player who can change a game in seconds and is always important in the team.”
‘YOU CAN’T LEAVE SUCH A PLAYER FROM THE BAFANA WORLD CUP SQUAD’
Maswanganyi has been included in the Bafana Bafana preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This comes after the 28-year-old had lost his place in the national side and missed the 2025 AFCON finals as well as March’s back-to-back international friendly matches against Panama.
Coach Hugo Broos is expected to announce his final World Cup squad on Wednesday, and Maswanganyi is waiting with bated breath to learn if he makes the cut to the global football showpiece.
“He absolutely deserves to go to the World Cup, you can’t leave such a player. Look at the Brazil coach [Carlo Ancelotti], what he did with Neymar,” Khan went on.
“Tito is the modern-day conductor in an orchestra. He is the heart of the team, playing number eight. Imagine Rele [Mofokeng] at number 10 and then the number six, whoever is top. That midfield trio can do wonders for Bafana.
“But again, I’m not the Bafana coach. He chooses who he wants. But then, when you have the ball, you need someone to control the tempo and rhythm, which is why the Brazil coach decided to take Neymar, even if he doesn’t start. Tito can do that.”
RELATED STORY: Pirates coach makes honest admission over Patrick Maswanganyi form