STEVE LEKOELEA (ORLANDO PIRATES LEGEND) COMMENTS ON THE BUCCANEERS HIRING JOSE RIVEIRO AS NEW HEAD COACH
Orlando Pirates legend Steve Lekoelea has weighed in on the Buccaneers’ appointment of a new coach.
There is still a mixed bag of emotions regarding José Riveiro’s appointment at Orlando Pirates.
The Spanish coach was unveiled by the club yesterday as the man to lead the Buccaneers for the next three years.
Riveiro has never coached in Africa before and his only experience as a first-team coach is from his stint in Finland since 2014. His last job was as head coach of Finnish side FC Inter Turku.
His assistant coach Sergio Almenara and fitness trainer Miguel Bellver Esteve have also made the move to Pirates. were part of his backroom staff.
While some are eager to see what he can do in South Africa, others are sceptical. Former Orlando Pirates star, Steve Lekoelea, also had his doubt about the new coach.
AS reported by Goal, Lekoelea said that Pirates needed to hire a coach who understood the club and how it plays.
“We need a coach that will understand the structure and culture of the club,”Lekoelea said.
“Orlando Pirates is a team that likes to attack. We have lost it in the past with European coaches that didn’t understand the club and South African players,” he added.
The debate over local versus foreign coaches in the Premier Soccer League is not a new one. Pitso Mosimane has long advocated for local coaches to be employed at PSL sides. The debate is now spreading to the nation team as well.
