Football analyst Junior Khanye remains skeptical about whether Jose Riveiro voluntarily chose to leave Orlando Pirates at the end of the current season.
Riveiro will be departing the club at the end of June when his deal runs out, according to a statement released by the Buccaneers on Thursday.
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Khanye, never one to shy away from sharing his unfiltered opinion, no matter how unpopular, argues that the Spaniard's inability to achieve his mandate of winning the league title during his three-year contract is what ultimately 'cost' him his job.
"Pirates only looked impressive when playing against teams like Polokwane City and Golden Arrows, but when facing (Mamelodi) Sundowns, I don't think he can honestly explain how they managed to win that match. Credit goes to Relebohile Mofokeng," says the former Kaizer Chiefs man.
"You can't call an ugly win a game plan - that's impossible. The controversial victory in the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch was heavily influenced by the referee. You might win cup competitions, but the club management also evaluates how those wins are achieved.
"In the first round of this season, Pirates were exciting, but in the second round, Riveiro started to panic. Recently, they have been winning in undesirable ways. I think even the technical staff has noticed that he is not playing to his players' strengths," he adds.
Khanye says for the Soweto giants to secure wins in recent times, they had to rely on their opponents' mistakes.
"They had the opportunity to win the league this season, having been in first place for most of the first round, yet look at how many points now separate them from Sundowns. His perfomance in the league is what is getting him released by the club.
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"The way they won against MC Alger recently showed that Pirates were fortunate. Alger was weak upfront.
"The future is crucial in football, we can't be misled by quick results. Therefore, I believe Riveiro was pressured into making this decision.
"He is a good coach, but he panicked every time he faced Sundowns, despite having players who could compete with Sundowns on equal footing."