Zuma asks Khoza to appoint Benni as Pirates coach

Former Orlando Pirates attacking midfielder Sibusiso Zuma has weighed in on nominating the next Buccaneers coach.


Zuma recommended his former Bafana Bafana teammate in Benni McCarthy to take over from Augusto Palacios at the Soweto giants. McCarthy has been linked with the Pirates job after the resignation of Muhsin Ertugral following a heavy defeat at the hands of SuperSport United.

After conceding six goals against Mamelodi Sundowns, the club has moved swiftly to find a coach to steer the ship in the right direction.

McCarthy and Zuma featured prominently in the Bafana Bafana lineup of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Both players have donned the Pirates jersey but never played together at club level, with Zuma earning a move to Europe for his good showing for the Sea Robbers, while Benni closed the curtain on his career at Pirates.

“I’ll be very happy if they can give my boy a chance, Benni,” Zuma said, in an exclusive interview with Sport24.

“We need to start trusting our players because I think we believe more in people we don’t know, people who have never played football.

“We’ll go and get someone in Bulgaria that we don’t know nothing about.

“Let’s give our people a chance. I’m voting for him [McCarthy as Pirates head coach],” Zuma concluded.

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