Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has spoken glowingly of the club’s assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi who has been with the Buccaneers since 2021.
Riveiro, on the other hand, was appointed as the Buccaneers head coach in 2022, replacing Josef Zinnbauer.
Ncikazi was the interim co-head coach for Pirates along with Fadlu Davids before the Spaniard’s arrival at the club.
Together with Ncikazi, Riveiro has won five trophies for the Soweto giants – three MTN8 titles and two Nedbank Cup trophies.
Riveiro credited Ncikazi for his significant contributions to his success at the club, particularly in helping him adapt to South African football and players as a foreign coach.
RIVEIRO ON HOW IMPORTANT NCIKAZI HAS BEEN FOR HIM AT PIRATES
“Mandla’s role, like many others in the [Pirates] staff, is important for an outsider like me, for a foreign coach coming to [a foreign country],” said Riveiro.
“I know the game is the same wherever you go. Football is football, but every country and league has different particularities. South African football has its own identity, and that is something you need to learn as soon and as quickly as you can as a foreign coach and the better for you and the team.
“So people like Mandla, a coach that has been around for a long time in South African football, playing and coaching, he knows the space very well. So it gives you the opportunity to learn quickly about the place where you are to understand a little bit better the people, footballers as human beings, the opponents and many other things.
“It is not only about football knowledge; everyone in the coaching staff has something to put on the table, to contribute, but for me, as a foreign coach, it is very important to be surrounded by local people, people that can tell you and teach you about the culture.
“It is also my responsibility to get used to the place where I am, to adapt and understand the people. It is not smart to go to a foreign country and not want to learn.
“But they also need to adapt to me as a coach and human being because of my position.
“…Human relationships are important in order for one to adapt. Well, Mandla is doing a good job in that sense, and he has been very respectful with me personally and with me as a coach. he corporates in order to do what we need as a team and at the end of the day, we all have the same objectives which is winning games.”
