Orlando Pirates boss Irvin Khoza has taken exception to those alleging the club did not do a thorough assessment and r background check before unveiling Spanish-born Jose Riveiro, 46, as the Soweto giants’ new head coach.
Speaking to the Sunday Times in Johannesburg this week on the sidelines of the Premier Soccer League’s announcement that the Motsepe Foundation would be the new sponsors for the National First Division, Khoza was at pains to defend the club for giving a three-year contract to a coach few SA football supporters know anything about.
While Riveiro’s appointment was raised many questions — given that he lacks experience and has not won any trophies — the Spaniard is respected in Finland, where he was previously employed.
Riveiro’s profile reveals that he has just three years’ head coaching experience at FC Inter Turku in Finland and won no silverware.
He had steered Turku, who boast one top-flight Veikkausliiga title in their 32-year history, to second (2019), second (2020) and third place (2021).
“It was a thorough search but I’m also humbled because one social media activist on Twitter created a platform where he didn’t take the rhetoric of the people to talk about a plumber, which was demeaning and insulting,” said Khoza of Riveiro.
“I can just say it was a matter of process and it’s quite interesting that you look at the coaches that we have in the respective teams (in the PSL) at the moment, they won nothing and nobody says anything. We had Ruud Krol, who was an international player (Netherlands) and he won a treble with us.
“We’ve done our best as a club, we’ve put it through the process and we can only try our best because we’ve tried with the combo that we had — (Mandla) Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids — and unfortunately Fadlu said he wants to go to greener pastures.
“We thought it’s very important to do justice (in getting a new coach). We have quality players but maybe it’s a question of now saying things differently.”
The Pirates chairman added that Riveiro fits what the club wants to achieve, especially in 2022 when they’ll be celebrating their 85the anniversary. He confirmed that he was very much involved in the process of finding the new coach and is satisfied with how they secured him.
“It is to understand the challenges we have and he (Riveiro) fits those kinds of challenges to make a difference. Looking at that team (Turku) he was coaching, we realised that he can make a difference.”
Pirates have not won the league title since 2012 and, while Khoza indicated they may need to add one or two more players in their squad, he feels they already have players who can turn things around and challenge Mamelodi Sundowns, who’ve won the championship in the last five seasons.
“You’ll never be satisfied as a club. There are things that you want to see happening but if you can’t get that you have to resort to what you have,” he said.
“I think we’ve got enough material in the team, although there’s always room for one or two more players. On the right, we’re a bit thin and we’re hoping to strengthen that a little bit. But there’s nothing on the market that’s available and you may have to look at the Diski (reserve) team as a conveyor belt for those replacements.”
Player movements, especially in the current window, have shown that a lot of SA clubs are struggling to maintain big squads and high earning players.
Khoza, who is also the PSL chairman, said the economic climate dictates what’s happening in the league.
“Unfortunately it all comes down to finances,” said Khoza. “If a company turn-over was R60m and today it’s R17m, what do you do? You must downsize because you don’t have that money. You get that money that comes and you use it to pay.
“The clubs have realised that with the current market conditions, we have a challenge. One of the things I have taught the clubs is about remaining relevant. It’s very important that you understand what the market wants.
“What is also a challenge is how we keep the youth in sight. You can no longer wait for a telegram to come and to collect a letter in the post office, no. Everything happens instantly. You can’t sit and not find solutions. Who’s going to come with the solutions for you?”
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