Orlando Pirates coach Riveiro on Saleng: ‘I’d rather not comment’

Orlando Pirates manager Jose Riveiro appears just as weary of the Monnapule Saleng situation as the rest of us.

Riveiro unmoved on Saleng

Speaking to the media, Pirates’ Spanish boss kept his cards close to his chest.

“I don’t think about players when we win or when we don’t win. I think no one wanted to be in this situation when we started the season, but it is that,” Riveiro said.

“As you know, it’s not my role to speak so much about that issue, I just wish for the best for both sides in this case. We focus on the players that we have; that’s it.

“Luckily, we have a lot of talent in the team; we have players with a lot of hunger wanting to use their opportunities, and like I said, the opportunities are presented to them,” added Riveiro.

“We have players in every position capable of doing the job, and that’s it; we have to live in the moment and look to the future.

“The future for us is to get ready tomorrow for the big match on the weekend. There’s no time to think so much about who’s there or who’s not.”

When is Pirates vs Sundowns in the Betway Premiership?

Jose Riveiro’s Sea Robbers could only manage a 0-0 stalemate against FC Stellenbosch on Tuesday evening. The result leaves Jose Riveiro’s men 18 points adrift of runaway leaders Sundowns after 18 matches. Pirates do have four games in hand, however. Sundowns only need 19 points from their remaining eight matches to mathematically guarantee the title. If they beat Pirates on Sunday, that number will drop to 13. Pirates and Sundowns do battle on Sunday 16 March at 15:30.

What could 2030 look like for Orlando Pirates?

In a purely hypothetical scenario where we’ve gazed into our crystal ball, it’s interesting to envisage where the current Bucs superstars might be in five years. It’s fanciful to suggest that Relebohile Mofokeng will still be around at that stage. Therefore, we’ve predicted a big sale for the superstar to Italian giants Inter Milan. Evidence Makgopa has been abroad since 2025, but we didn’t experience that after fast-forwarding a few years in our time machine. Makgopa spent two years with Ajax Amsterdam, winning two Dutch League titles and the Europa League. Now 30, Thalente Mbatha is the Bafana Bafana captain.