Orlando Pirates have enjoyed two seasons of stability under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro.
Riveiro joined Pirates, taking over after German mentor Josef Zinnbauer after the club two interim co-coaches.
Pirates were left in a precarious position when Zinnbauer left abruptly due to family reasons. The duo of assistance Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids took over. They were inconsistent in their results, including losing the CAF Confederations Cup final against RS Barkane. It became apparent that a new permanent coach would be needed to come in and steer the ship. That happened to be another European in Riveiro.
While Riveiro has endured an indifferent relationship with Pirates supporters, they can’t argue his track record. Since joining the club, he has won three trophies, two MTN8 titles and a Nedbank Cup last season. He is also on course to helping the club defend the Nedbank Cup, with the Buccaneers set to play AmaZulu. A win against Usuthu in Durban will see them in the last four.
Pirates are also competing for a CAF Champions League spot in the league. They’re embroiled in a tough battle with SuperSport United, Cape Town Spurs and Kaizer Chiefs for second spot. All of those positives have not gone unnoticed, and now according to The Citizen, he has attracted European interest. Sweden and a return to Finland have mooted as possible destinations for Riveiro should he decide to leave the Sea Robbers. Pirates on the other hand, are not going to give up without a fight.
Pirates to fight to keep Riveiro amid overseas interest?
“It doesn’t come as a surprise that coach Jose is already being eyed by these teams. He has done quite a good job at Pirates. The club is stable and everything is just going well. He has managed to build a very strong squad and you can see that there is progress, that’s why management wants to keep him for a longer period. There is a six-year plan with objectives in place and he has already managed to tick some of the boxes. He has won knockout competitions and there are some other things that he needs to achieve and they believe that he will be able to deliver as time goes by.”.
With the sound of things, Pirates have a big vision under Riveiro and will be hoping he is keen for it too.