Current Bucs squad is special than any other generation – Moloi

Orlando Pirates legend Teboho Moloi is of the view that the current Bucs team is more special than any other generation, calling for outgoing coach José Riveiro to be given a special farewell, a gesture he thinks might sway the Spaniard to stay put.

The current Pirates generation under Riveiro has already bagged five trophies since the Spaniard arrived in July 2022. They are also on the cusp of winning an unprecedented quadruple as they are still in the race for the domestic championship while they're in the Nedbank Cup final and in the semifinals in the CAF Champions League, having already defended the MTN earlier in the season.

"I've always said that this [the current team] is a special group and I emphasise that,'' Moloi said on the sidelines of an event to officially launch SuperSportBET as a betting partner of Pirates and their bitter rivals Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium yesterday.

"They're different from our treble [winning] team, different from the double treble [winning] team [between 2010 and 2012], different from the team that reached the Champions League and Confed Cup finals [in 2013 and 2015 respectively, albeit they also reached the Confed Cup final in 2022].

"These are young boys, boys that are still finding their feet but they're bringing in trophies. They are the first generation to have fans singing even after a defeat."

Pirates have already confirmed that Riveiro will leave at the end of the season and Moloi foresees the incumbent coach being the first Bucs coach to get a special send-off. Pirates' next game is the Champions League semifinals first leg against Pyramids of Egypt at FNB Stadium on Saturday (6pm).

"At Pirates, there are two players that have had farewells, and I see Riveiro being the first coach to have a farewell,'' Moloi said.

"When my dad [Chippa Moloi] retired, he was given a farewell and Jomo was also given one when he left to start Jomo Cosmos in 1986... now we have a coach who's unified everyone, every generation is happy about Riveiro.

"You'll never know after the best farewell ever, he might say 'hey, I made a mistake, let me go back to where I belong', so it's very important that we support the team in all remaining games to make sure we give him the best ever farewell."

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