There couldn’t be a better chance for Pirates to end Downs’ dominance. In  recent months, truth be told, even the success-spoilt Mamelodi Sundowns supporters must be envious of the revolution at  Orlando Pirates.
Not only are the Buccaneers leading the Betway Premiership by two points, with a game in hand, they are selling and buying quality players in abundance. They are also capturing all the domestic trophies, like Zanu-PF veterans grabbing the land. Besides being knocked out of the CAF Champions League, it seems like smooth sailing for the Sea Robbers this season.Â
They sold Mohau Nkota and Mbekezeli Mbokazi for close to R100-million; they are also on the verge of acquiring more millions for the twinkle-toed Relebohile Mofokeng. It is raining dollars, and Bucs’ supremo Irvin “Iron Duke” Khoza’s toothy grin must be a permanent feature at their headquarters because the noticeable gap, so to speak, between Pirates and other PSL clubs, is widening.
They also seem to be eclipsing Sundowns when it comes to the signing of players. Lately, their announcement of players has been met with envy from their counterparts and opposition supporters.
Just this week, they added more reinforcements to their already armour-plated squad by roping in Daniel Msendami and Mpho Chabatsane. Both were on the books of Marumo Gallants.
The 25-year-old Msendami has played in 13 of Gallants’ 14 league games this season and has been very effective in Gallants’ attack since the start of the season.
At 23 years old, Chabatsane is a promising defender who is addicted to taking lung-busting gallops down the left flank.
The duo is going to settle into the team like fish to water; they worked under Bucs coach
Abdeslam Ouaddou when he was still coaching Gallants last season. And the coach knows and understands their strengths and weaknesses.
Sundowns used to bring the crème de la crème to Chloorkop; the likes of Teko Modise, Khama Billiat, Surprise Moriri, Gaston Sirino and Lucas Ribeiro were some jaw-dropping names previously, but lately, they are resorting to average and sometimes washed-up South American and Portuguese players.
They continue to import them;even this week, they smuggled another Colombian experiment, Brayan Leon, into the country.
If Sundowns are honest, they will agree that in Arthur Sales, Mattias Esquivel, Miguel Reisinho, Junior Mendietta and Nuno Santos they did not hit the mark as they did with Jose Torrealba, Sirino, Marcello Allende, Castro, and Ribeiro.
The departure of Ribeiro is still breaking the hearts of most Sundowns supporters. With potris the size of pawpaws, Ribeiro really traumatised many defenders last season, including at the Fifa Club World Cup in the US.
Pirates bosses are creating a monster, and there couldn’t be a better time to stop Downs’ domination. Sundowns, who won the league for eight successive seasons, have been embarrassing Pirates, reducing them to bridesmaid in the race for the honours.
This time around, and pound for pound, Bucs have done their homework, bought cleverly and assembled a formidable, fearsome squad. Having said that, you do not win the league on paper; Sundowns are seasoned campaigners, and their players love winning trophies more than they love themselves.
They are not just going to let Bucs seize what they have now made their own; they are going to put up a massive fight and test Pirates’ staying power and strength. It may be early days, but Pirates have put themselves in the right groove and in the driving seat to dictate the course and itinerary of the journey.
