Former Orlando Pirates captain Edelbert Dinha has explained in detail why Innocent Maela continues to wear the armband even though he is always on the bench.
It is unusual for a club big such as Pirates to have a captain who is not good enough to even start matches.
Most players who have donned the armband at the Mighty Buccaneers turned out to be legends of the Soweto giants, and that was because of their contribution on the pitch.
Dan Malesela, Nick Seshweni, Lucky Lekgwathi, and Happy Jele amongst others, were not just mere squad players who started matches on the bench. Last season the EMalahleni-born Maela made only 15 league appearances.
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In his successful football for Dinha captained every team he played for.
"A captain is just an armband, it doesn't make you the highest-paid player at the club, and it doesn't mean you are the best player," Dinha tells KickOff.
"There are qualities that they look for in a captain, like a player who is good at motivating and encouraging players, he is always smiling and always there for the players.
"He doesn't have to be the best player, whether you put him on the bench, he is always there for the players. He's got a very positive attitude.
"And when the players see that from their captain it makes them want to play or want to fight, want to win games.
"In my opinion, it doesn't matter whether he plays or doesn't play; the quality that he possesses is good enough for the team to do well," he added.
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"So, in Maela's case, you can find that his other teammates don't have those questions. You get different captains from different clubs chosen by the coaches.
"Why is he sitting on the bench at Pirates? The only person that can answer that question truthfully is the coach. He might not be doing well or carrying a niggling injury, we can only suspect.
"It depends on the club if they should look for another captain who will always be on the pitch, but I'm sure he's got the deputies who are always starting matches.
"It's up to the club if they will want to have a new captain, or they will continue with Innocent Maela."