Ncanana clarifies ‘Pirates is just a name’ statement
Durban City captain Siphamandla Ncanana has clarified his comments that angered Orlando Pirates officials toward the end of last season.
After a league match that ended in a 0-0 draw at Orlando Amstel Arena, Ncanana, who was named Man of the Match, said Pirates was “just a name.”
Those words were not well received in the Pirates camp. One of the club’s officials, Mpumi Khoza, was seen reprimanding the players after the match, saying they allowed people to disrespect Pirates.
The two teams will face each other again on Saturday at the Orlando Amstel Arena in an MTN8 fixture. Ncanana’s words now add more spice into the fixture, and makes it even more intense.
Speaking ahead of the match, Ncanana said people didn’t quite understand what he meant regarding Orlando Pirates at that time.
“What I can say is that perhaps people didn’t properly understand my words,” said Ncanana.
“It wasn’t that I was disrespecting Pirates or had any hatred toward them.
“We all know that Pirates is a big club in South African football.”
He said what he meant was that once the referee starts the match, names no longer matter.
“Once the referee blows the whistle to start the match, it becomes 11 players vs 11 players. It is no longer about Pirates or any other team,” he added.
“I was trying to say that we needed to be strong, not to disrespect Orlando Pirates.”
