It has now been revealed that Spanish coach Jose Riveiro made it known quite early that he didn’t plan to stay at Orlando Pirates for more than three years.
Riveiro spent three seasons at Pirates before opting not to extend his stay at the club.
His departure was confirmed towards the end of the season, and he left with a few Betway Premiership matches still remaining.
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His exit did not come as a surprise to some, including former Pirates striker Zakhele Lepasa.
Lepasa explained: “To be honest, some of us were not shocked because he did say in his first season with the club, I was lucky enough to be there, that he is not planning to stay for more than three years,” Lepasa told the media recently.
“Of course, by then, I had forgotten about it, but seeing it happen, I think maybe there was a bit of space for disappointment and being sad because he is going to leave at some point. Football is like that.
“For me, I’ve been at the club for nine and a half years, and I have seen a lot of coaches come and go, I’ve never really had a relationship with a coach.
“Merely because I try not to attach myself to any coach, because should a coach leave and another coach comes in, it might either make you or break you as a coach.
“But I would say that he is the first coach that I ever had a genuine relationship with.
“Because he didn’t come to us as a coach. He came to us as a father, a friend, and a teammate because I think to a certain extent, he always thought he could play, even though he kept telling us that he was a bad player, but when we play, he does play.
“That’s what makes him unique. Whenever he talked to us, we kind of resonated with what he tried to say because he spoke to us as a player.”
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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