‘I don’t see them winning it’, Mohafe questions Pirates’ title credentials

2026-03-05 - 09:43

Polokwane City head coach Phuti Mohafe was not impressed with how Orlando Pirates played against them and warned the Buccaneers need to improve if they are to win the league this season. Pirates had to dig deep in order to secure a 2-1 win over Mohafe’s charges in a Betway Premiership clash played at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday night. READ MORE: Maswanganyi late winner helps Pirates retain lead at the top The Buccaneers took the lead through Relebohile Mofokeng in the 53rd minute, but Bonginkosi Dlamimi levelled the score in the 87th minute before Patrick Maswanganyi netted the winner on the stroke of full-time. The victory saw Pirates retain their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership standings. They are tied on 44 points with Mamelodi Sundowns, but stay ahead based on the better goal difference. Mohafe unimpressed by Bucs Despite the victory against them, Mohafe was not convinced with how Pirates played on the day and warned they might not win the league title if they continue to play the way they did. “You see, if they can continue playing like this, I don’t see them winning the championship. If they play the way they played today,” said Mohafe after the game. “Not knowing that, maybe our tactical aspects or our tactical acumen was spot on. Maybe we planned very well for them, and that is why they struggled against us. But with the performance that they gave, I don’t see them becoming champions.” Mohafe added that looking at the balance of play, City should have at least walked away with a point against Pirates. “t’s not a good defeat because a good reflection of the match would have been a draw,” said Mohafe. Ouaddou blames pitch His counterpart, Abdeslam Ouaddou blamed the poor pitch at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium for his side’s unconvincing display. “It’s not easy to come and win in Polokwane, we know that it’s a strong team, we know we are very compact, they play with bravery and the pitch today didn’t help us,” said Ouaddou. READ MORE: Pirates coach Ouaddou critical of Old Peter Mokaba pitch “I don’t understand if you have a magnificent stadium next to that stadium and I think it’s the image of the PSL because PSL is one of the best – it’s the best league in Africa. “So, I think we have to put the teams in the right condition to play nice football for the fans you understand.”