We need to play to make history
Delmain Faver: Fortune, you received so much love and affection from the community of Vosloorus, a place where you grew up in. What does it mean to you to get the support from your kasi and knowing that you are celebrated in your backyard?
Fortune Makaringe: I have to give thanks and show gratitude for the love that I’ve received. As they say, it takes a community to raise a child and I’m one of the few prodfrom ucts that come the township of Vosloorus. So, for me to be back in 1475, it means a lot because I look back and realise how much they’ve sacrificed for me to be an Orlando Pirates footballer. It’s all love!
DF: In our last conversahadn’t tion, you played a game this season and you later popped up in an unfamiliar right back position. How was that adjustment for you?
FM: Well, it’s althe ways about will to learn and obviously, when you’re learning, there comes a time when you need to also implement or showcase what you’ve been learning all along. So, for me to be given that opportunity to showcase my talent, it really meant a lot and we keep going. We keep moving from where we were and show progress in whatwe’re ever that doing.
DF: You are one of the players known for silky skills than defensive prowess. How were you able to flip the switch and go into defensive mode when your entire career was focused on attacking?
FM: It’s all credit to the team, the whole team as a whole, my teamtechnical mates, the staff and everyresponsible one that was in helping me to adapt much easier. So, for me it was just playing the game, impleI menting what know from the game and playing the game as it was unr folding. So, fo me it’s all about that.
DF: How do you rate your dethe fensive side of game, because usually you’re the one making debut fenders sweat, now the roles are reversed?
FM: Ha ha h a I’ll be honest with you, it’s not that easy, especially when you know that you’re one of the tricky players because you always expect the opponent to be as tricky as you are. So, it’s never easy because you even anticipate things that are not even there. So yeah, it’s all about adjusting and trying to adapt as much as possible.
DF: The modern players to be versatile. portant would a player to be in multiple positions on the field?
FM:
game requires How imyou say it is for able to play
I would have to give credit to m peers because mos of them are versatile, so I always learn from wherever they are placed to play. They go in and do their job as expected. So, for me it’s more about learning from my peers and trying to
To see Fortune Makaringe, embraced by his home supporters in the community of Vosloorus, East of Johannesburg, was a marvel to see. The pride felt from the community at one of their own turning out for Orlando Pirates was tangible. The 31-yearold shares a deep affinity with his hometown and mingles with the locals, reciprocating the love he receives whenever he returns home. Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver caught up with the tricky player where amongst other things, he discussed his change of position, his and Pirates’ ability to adapt to various situations and his progress in grasping coach Jose Riveiro’s plans this season. in the DStv Premiership this season with clear indications of a well-coached side. Would you say that after two seasons the players have fully grasped what it is that coach, Jose Riveiro, is trying to implement at the club? FM: We’re still in a process of trying to grasp as much information as we can possibly use. We are still progressing and improving from game to game. I can’t say we fully grasped everything. So, we are in an improving stage.
DF: Interesting for all to see was how Pirates managed to overturn odds that were stacked against them. An example of this would be matchthe ing aggression of Mamelodi Sundowns in matches, which was an element that proved to be the difference between the teams on previous occasions. Similarly, it took a while to figure out Kaizer Chiefs and once you did, it resulted in three consecutive Soweto Derby victories. What would you attribute this adaptation process to?
FM: For me, it all comes back to the preparation. I think you can’t prepare for one team the same way that you prepare for the other team because they bring in different elements. So, it shows how much our coaches and everyone in the team spend much more time preparing for the game. So, each and every adjustment has to come with whichever team that we are facing, so that would be credit to the technical team and everyone that’s actually trying their best to implement whatever it is that is in place for that week’s plan.
DF: A concern for Pirates has been the fact that, for the last few years, the club has not delved deeply into the CAF Champions League. Is this an area that we could potentially see being addressed in the future with the club pushing more aggressively to compete?
FM:
THE “PLAYING IN LEAGUE IS CHAMPIONS THINGS THAT ONE OF THE EXPECTED IS ACTUALLY AND EVERY FROM EACH THAT COMES PLAYER ORLANDO PIRATES.” INTO
I think each and every one that stands for Pirates is actually handed that responsibility. It comes as a mandate to say we have to fight for everything, and we need to play to make history. So, playing in the Champions League is one of the things that is actually expected from each and every player that comes into the Orlando Pirates camp.