Pirates vie for continental glory
● Orlando Pirates will become the first SA club to play in four finals in Africa’s inter-club competitions if they qualify for the Caf Confederation Cup final by beating Libyan side Al Ahli Tripoli at Orlando Stadium today.
The Buccaneers are favourites to win the tie and meet either TP Mazembe of DR Congo or RS Berkane of Morocco in the final after beating Ahli 2-0 in the first leg of the semifinal in Tripoli last week.
Pirates won the Caf Champions League by defeating Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast in 1995 but lost in two other finals against Al Ahly of Egypt in the Champions League in 2013 and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia in the Confederations Cup in 2015.
Lucky Lekgwathi — who captained the Pirates team that lost to Ahly in 2013 and watched on the sidelines injured when they suffered a defeat against Du Sahel two years later — told the Sunday Times he wasn’t surprised that Pirates were on the verge of continental glory.
“Look, it’s only fitting that Pirates, a club which was the first [in SA] to win a continental title, will contest the fourth final with a chance to become the first SA side to win a second continental title,” said Lekgwathi, 45, who retired in 2014 having won six trophies with the Buccaneers, including two league titles in 2011 and 2012.
Lekgwathi cautioned Pirates players ahead of today’s match, saying for them to qualify for the final, which will be played in Uyo, Nigeria, on Friday, they must first fully focus on today’s encounter. “Pirates players must remember they haven’t won the second leg yet,” said the former Bafana Bafana right-back.
“They mustn’t forget that their opponents are capable of doing what they did to them in Libya.”
Pirates skipper Happy Jele, 35, is the only player who was Lekgwathi’s teammate when they lost the two finals in 2013 and 2015. “Lifting a continental title will be huge for Happy because there are not many cups that Pirates have won since he succeeded me as captain. I know what it will mean for him to lift this cup,” said Lekgwathi.
Pirates have had a rough ride in the DStv Premiership where co-coaches Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids have battled to have the team performing as well as they have in the Confederation Cup.
So poor has been Pirates’ form in the league that they’ve no guarantee they’ll participate in any of the Caf competitions next season.
“Winning this cup could change a lot of things for both the players and coaches at the club. If they win the Confed Cup they’ll force the chairman (Irvin Khoza) to think twice about letting some players and coaches go at the end of the season,” said Lekgwathi.
Only Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns have played in finals and won trophies in Caf competitions.
Chiefs won the Confederation Cup in 2001 and lost in the Champions League final last year while Sundowns won the Champions League in 2016 after losing in the same competition’s final in 2001.