South Africa’s under-20 team will do battle at Afcon without Orlando Pirates’ Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
ORLANDO PIRATES STAR MBEKEZELI MBOKAZI NOT GOING TO AFCON UNDER-20
The Sea Robbers will face Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League second-leg tie on Friday. That will be followed by clutch league games and the Nedbank Cup final. With Amajita leaving for Afcon this week, coach Raymond Mdaka has confirmed that Orlando Pirates need the 19-year-old, who has now become a starting line-up player.
“I need to be very honest, the boy was very key in terms of our defence,” Mdaka said via FARPost. “He is a player that I have been with since the beginning of the camp when I took over,” said Mdaka. “So, players tend to understand each other on how they play and all these other things.
“Well, like any other player, he is key, but honestly, he was one of the important players in our defence.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Pirates defender has been replaced by Mamelodi Sundowns’ Thato Sibiya who was on standby.
ORLANDO PIRATES AND SUPERSPORT UNITED EYE MANQOBA MNGQITHI
Manqoba Mngqithi considered by Orlando Pirates? This should not surprise any of us. Mngqithi knows how to win league titles and the CAF Champions League. That’s not all, he knows the Sea Robbers pretty well.
With Jose Riveiro leaving the Buccaneers at the end of the season and Gavin Hunt departing SuperSport United last month, Soccer Laduma says that both clubs are discussing the name of Mngqithi. While the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach is settling well at Golden Arrows, the prospect of joining bigger projects in Gauteng is always tough to turn down.
In the meantime, the Sea Robbers are also reportedly talking to Mngqithi’s former co-coach, Rulani Mokwena. The former Orlando Pirates coach and Sundowns coach has confirmed he will not be part of Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca next season.
For now, the Soweto giants are focused on this weekend’s CAF Champions League second-leg semifinal against Pyramids FC in Egypt. The game is set for Friday, 25 April, at 20:00 at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
WHO SHOULD REPLACE JOSE RIVEIRO NEXT SEASON?
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