Why Dondol coach believes Pirates date was predestined

As Dondol Stars co-coach Vincent Rammoni arrived at the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal draw in Randburg on Monday, 13 March 2023, an instinctive feeling struck him that a date with Orlando Pirates was on the cards.

The intuition was odd, and the Dondol tactician Rammoni attempted to shake it off. This was just a few minutes before the Nedbank Cup draw was conducted.

The feeling just wouldn’t go away as it kept ringing in his head. Before coaches went live on SuperSport TV to share their views on the Nedbank Cup, Rammoni did the unthinkable.

He approached the Pirates coach Jose Riveiro to share his feeling about the predestined Dondol and Pirates clash.

Rammoni had an interesting chat with Riveiro as he had followed Pirates’ last five games with keen interest.

Dondol Stars have been the 2023 Nedbank Cup’s surprise package. The Mamelodi-based side, competing in the ABC Motsepe League, are the only lower-division team left in the competition. Yet his gut feeling paired him with an undisputed giant of South African football.

Of course, Rammoni’s men are having a fairytale run in the Nedbank Cup. First, they gunned down DStv Premiership giants SuperSport United before edging out AmaZulu in the last 16.

Up next for them in the quarterfinals is Pirates, an encounter Rammoni says was destined to happen.

WHAT RAMMONI TOLD Riveiro

“I don’t know if it was coincidental; I watched five Pirates matches,” said Rammoni.

“When I got there [Nedbank Cup draw], I told their coach, ‘I feel I’m going to play against you, your team. I don’t know why, but I’m feeling that.’

“And then he [Riveiro] said, ‘no, I don’t want to play Dondol,’ and it happened. But then we respect them [Pirates].

“That’s why I’ll never be at a place or space to actually talk about their weaknesses or strengths right where I am because they are also an organisation. A big one for that matter, and that needs to be respected”.

Rammoni further explained Riveiro wanted to avoid being drawn against Dondol Stars in the last eight. However, he was reluctant to give much away.

“He [Riveiro] did explain a bit,” he stated. “One of the things that he said was that it’s difficult to prepare for teams that are in the lower division. [That’s] because you don’t get their videos or their information for as much as you’d like to have as a coach. That’s all that he said.”

The PSL has yet to confirm the fixtures’ dates and venues. However, as per the draw, Dondol will be the home team against Pirates.

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