Former Orlando Pirates star Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi has opened up about his abrupt departure from the reigning Betway Premiership champions, revealing it was forced by media scrutiny, especially social media that affected his family.
The 28-year-old made a surprise move to the relatively unknown Bahraini outfit Al-Khaldiya SC in the new season with Pirates.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Tito Maswanganyi’s new club, Al-Khaldiya SC
“I’ve always asked the chairman [Irvin Khoza] to let me leave the club because I felt like it was the right moment for me to leave,” Maswanganyi said on Monday night, during an exclusive interview with the SA Football Journalists Association (SAFJA).
“And I felt that was going to help me in terms of me being myself and also me being able to regain my confidence, because sometimes I would feel really down and I always had to explain to them I wished to play for another team.
“I needed to be in a space where I felt I could be myself again, and also, I needed peace. I was looking for peace, which I no longer had when I was in South Africa, so that’s why I went to Bahrain.”
Maswanganyi pointed out that the peace he sought was a direct result of his family’s distress over the constant backlash he was receiving on social media, to the point that they wanted him to quit playing football altogether.
“Everyone knows that I was under a lot of pressure, but my family was suffering from the comments that I was getting from the [social] media, I’d say. So, they would see those kinds of things, and they wanted me to quit football.
“But for me, it was something I would understand because I’m a football player; these things happen. But for them it was really tough for them.
READ: Wearing Pirates jersey has been a privilege Titos farewell message to chairman Khoza
He said his primary motivation was ensuring that his family was insulated from the ongoing social media onslaught.
“I just felt like if I moved far away from the country, things would get better in terms of their [mental] health.
“And also, for myself to be in a space where I stop thinking a lot, because I had a lot of thoughts about whether I’m good or bad, but when it comes to family, it’s something where I need to make sure that I protect and I make decisions that help me and also my family to feel good, and I also feel good,” the dribbling wizard added.
Maswanganyi is currently in South Africa for the FIFA international break, and was spotted at the Orlando Amstel Arena over the weekend.
- Former Orlando Pirates star Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi has opened up about his abrupt departure from the reigning Betway Premiership champions, revealing it was forced by media scrutiny, especially social media that affected his family.
- The 28-year-old made a surprise move to the relatively unknown Bahraini outfit Al-Khaldiya SC in the new season with Pirates.
- READ MORE: All you need to know about Tito Maswanganyi’s new club, Al-Khaldiya SC “I’ve always asked the chairman [Irvin Khoza] to let me leave the club because I felt like it was the right moment for me to leave,” Maswanganyi said on Monday night, during an exclusive interview with the SA Football Journalists Association (SAFJA).
