Pirates coach defends showboating Makaringe

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says he will not dictate to his players on how they should express themselves on the field.


Zinnbauer’s comments come after his Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart Pitso Mosimane criticised midfielder Fortune Makaringe for showboating in a league clash between Pirates and the defending Absa Premiership on Tuesday night.

The German coach doesn’t want his team to play direct football like European sides.

“I saw my player, but maybe you heard the supporters [cheering at him]? Maybe [Thembinkosi] Lorch makes the same, maybe a Sundowns player makes the same, I don’t know,” said Zinnbauer.

“I know a player, I think his name is Ronaldo, he plays in Italy [for Juventus], and you know him. He makes the same, and the supporters get happy.

“We cannot do much about this [showboating]. I cannot say, ‘hey Fortune, no, please! I change you if you make these things!’ We are in Africa, not in Germany. South Africa, to be exact. Yes, I am from Germany and we are direct in our play, but I can’t change how things are done here.”

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