As Lesedi Kapinga begings a new chapter of his career with Orlando Pirates, a plea has been made to the club's supporters regarding the treatment of players.
Kapinga was unveiled by the Buccaneers this morning after signing a three-year contract and joined on a free.
The midfielder previously featured for defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns although he didn't play too many games since joining the club in 2020 from Black Leopards.
The 28-year-old attacking midfielder is only expected to join his new teammates at Bucs this week, having missed the pre-season camps in Rustenburg and Spain respectively as head coach Jose Riveiro and his technical team took the rest of the players through their paces.
It is for a reason like that that former Pirates defender Tonic Chabalala is appealing for patience from the fans on their expectations from Kapinga.
The Good
"I am happy with the signing of Kapinga and what makes me even happier is that he is joining a team that already has some of the best midfielders in the league. I am happy about the competition that his signing will create in midfield for the team. Kapinga will fit in Pirates' system in the same way that (Ndabayithethwa) Ndlondlo did when he joined the club. Kapinga is a good player and it's just that at Sundowns he was surrounded by a lot of players in his position and didn't get to play as much as he would have liked. He is good going forward and he can create and score goals. With his signing, I think we (Pirates) are now covered in midfield and I just hope that he doesn't change the way he plays. You must have seen him during the COSAFA Cup that the boy is hungry and his performances. Given a chance, I think he will do really well for Pirates," said Chabalala.
The Bad
"The only thing that could affect Kapinga from making progress at Pirates is if he is joining the club with his confidence low. He has to forget about everything else and be positive about the next step he is taking in his career and that will help him to keep his confidence high. Some people might say it was just COSAFA but I am saying judging by his performance there, the signs are there that he has a point to prove. He raised his hand for everyone to see that he wants to play. As a professional player, he should be able to adjust and fit at any team and at any time (even if he didn't have a pre-season with the club). Football is almost the same in many ways and after a few training sessions for about two weeks or so, he should be able to understand what's being done at Pirates and what is required of him. For me, there isn't too much difference between Pirates and Sundowns on how they play. he just has to understand how (Thembinkosi) Lorch and other players play, the philosophy of the coach and things like that," he said.
The Ugly
"Rome wasn't built in one day"
"When it comes to the fans, I don't know what kind of football are they watching sometimes. Pirates and Chiefs fans do not have enough patience when it comes to supporting their own. They expect players to get in there and fit like a hand in a glove. Sometimes players need time to adapt and gel with the rest of their teammates. Pirates was the only team in the league to win two trophies last season and based on that you would expect the fans to be patient and not put people under pressure when the new season begins. Look at (Terrence) Dzvukamanja's situation as an example, he was being booed but he is the very same player who went on to score the team's winning goal in the Nedbank Cup final. They didn't want him anywhere near their and he proved to be very helpful. It goes to show that Rome wasn't built in one day. Their support to the team will always be very important and they should always remember that players are human too," Chabalala added.
Summary
"I am looking forward to the season and I am hoping for the best for Bhaka Bhaka. They did well last season and therefore the expectations are high for the team to replicate that. There are high hopes for the team to do well, especially if we can look at what was achieved last season. I don't see a lot of changes being made by the club (in the transfer window) and I am expecting continuity from the team," concluded Chabalala.
How will Kapinga fit at Pirates?
