‘My heart, soul and mind at Pirates’: Micho responds to calls for his Bucs return

Serbian coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has given a cryptic response to calls for his return to Orlando Pirates, saying ‘my heart, soul and mind’ are with the Buccaneers.

FARPost had contacted Micho in Uganda, where he coaches the Cranes, seeking his reaction to calls from some Pirates fans that he should return to the DStv Premiership team for a third stint.

“My body is away from Pirates, but my heart, soul and mind are there. Once and always Pirates until bones are rotten,” he said.

Micho then clarified his remarks, saying he meant that other coaches have come and gone at Pirates, but “I am [the] only coach that kept being [a] supporter.”

The fans made the call on some online news outlets in reaction to a tweet from the Serb outlining his coaching journey that has taken him from Cape to Cairo after also having had coaching jobs in Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia and Egypt.

Pirates have endured a frustrating season without hope for any domestic silverware, with the Confederation Cup presenting the only prospect for some take-home at the end of the season.

Micho’s first stint with Pirates came in 2006, and he returned to the Soweto giants in 2017 before he left after securing a job with Zamalek in Egypt.

Micho’s second stint with Pirates proved a relative success steering them to second-place finishes in the Premier Soccer League and the 2018 Telkom Cup final.

He then secured the Zambian national football team job, which he held until last year when he reunited with the Cranes of Uganda.

The Serb launched his Africa adventure with Uganda’s SC Villa FC in 2001, leading them to three league titles on the bounce. He has 17 titles under his belt earned from his romance with African football.