Shortly after announcing that he will be leaving South Africa then guiding Orlando Pirates to a historic CAF Champions League semi-final feat, Jose Riveiro revealed how his life has changed.
Riveiro dropped a bombshell two weeks ago when he requested his contract not be renewed. It was set to expire at the end of the current season.
After their hard-fought 1-0 (aggregate) Champions League midweek triumph over MC Alger of Algeria, a visibly emotional Riveiro expressed how his life has changed during his three-year stint at the Buccaneers.
“You want me to get emotional now? No way,” said Riveiro.
“My life will never be the same after being here as a Pirates coach. It has brought a significant change in my life, and I am not talking about football.
“I’m talking about all those things that you say [having a good personal relationship with the fans] in the way that the people are expressing themselves towards me. It’s something special.”
The positive relationship between Riveiro and the fans has been well-documented throughout the season, and it got more intimate after their game with Alger.
Two supporters were seen going over to the 49-year-old for a hearty conversation, and they embraced each other at the end.
“We’re here to try to do everything to put the club in the space that the club like Pirates itself, and the space that the fans want us to be.
“Trust me, we know how important football is for them. We’re talking about something else [more] than winning one game or not. We’re talking about a lot of things as a society.
“Every day when we wake up in the morning, we go to training, we know what we are playing for and to whom, and again still I think seven or eight weeks together here.
“Since I arrived here, if we speak about the fans, not about you [media], they were always friendly and kind and special with [to] me,” he added.
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