Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says he was not proving a point to anyone who compared him to a “plumber” at first, with the term described to foreign coaches who come to South Africa without success.
The Spanish coach, who was appointed on a three-year deal during the off season, had not won a trophy before as a head coach.
However, he earned his first, as the Soweto giants beat AmaZulu 1-0 in the MTN8 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night.
Monnapule Saleng’s delightful and deceitful free kick flew into the top corner in the 24th minute and that was enough for Pirates to win their record fourth MTN8 trophy.
In doing so, Pirates ensured they will keep this cup forever, as this was the record fourth MTN8 trophy since telecommunication company took over as the sponsor in 2008.
Riveiro was asked during the post-match press conference if those who had doubts about his credentials are now eating humble pies, but he looked unhappy about the question before he replied.
“I’m not here to respond to that, I’m here to do my job,” said Riveiro during the press conference.
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“I’m a football coach, I was prepared to do it and that’s why I get the opportunity to be part of this beautiful club. I also want to thank my bosses for giving me the opportunity to represent the brand like Pirates, we are doing a good job together.
“I’m just a coach. There are a lot of things around the football game that we need to work on, that need to be well oiled. I have a responsibility obviously.
“I understand as coaches we are in the spotlight for different reasons especially when we lose. But there’s nothing I can do about it, I cannot control it. I don’t spend time thinking about it and this is not revenge.
“We did what we were supposed to do together, as football staff, management, all the people around the team, we did it together and I’m very proud.”
When Riveiro was appointed, Sundowns even poked fun on Twitter to ask “who” and so were Kaizer Chiefs, leaving Twitter in a frenzy.
But Pirates are looking revived under Riveiro and have adapted to the 3-4-3 formation for most of the season, the system they weren’t associated with before
Despite many having doubts about him, Riveiro has a UEFA Pro License, which is the highest coaching qualification in world football.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
