The formidable Orlando Pirates’ attacking trio of Kermit Erasmus, pictured, Thamsanqa Gabuza and Lehlohonolo Majoro held an impromptu race on mini Segway hoverboards before their training session yesterday at Rand Stadium.
They laughed and teased each other, especially Gabuza who struggled to stay on top of his. But they eventually helped him, showing the unity that has seen the trio score 13 of the club’s 31 goals in the CAF Confederation Cup. Former captain Lucky Lekgwathi “officiated” the race while the current captain Oupa Manyisa watched on with his crutches.
Manyisa went a step further, putting on his training kit and going into the field where the Buccaneers trained. He watched from the sidelines, limited by his injury. It was a moving show of solidarity from Manyisa to his teammates who have been forced to march to the final of the CAF Confederation Cup without their leader since September. But that, like anything else that has stood in the club’s way, hasn’t derailed the Sea Robbers in their trek to the final where they face Etoile du Sahel on Sunday in Sousse in the second leg. Manyisa was in the stands when Pirates played to a 1-1 draw with Sahel in the first leg at Orlando Stadium.
“What has been key for us is the character that we have shown, always willing to work for one another especially when the chips are down,” said Erasmus. “The fighting spirit we have and the players who have shown character to lift the players who are down are the reasons why we are here.”
There was a feeling of deja vu, followed by stunned silence when Sahel captain Ammar Jemal popped up in the 86th minute to give the Tunisians a crucial away goal to end the first leg 1-1.
In the 2013 CAF Champions League final something similar happened, with Al-Ahly going on to beat the Buccaneers in Cairo. But unlike in 2013, the club will be boosted by the presence of Happy Jele - who will wear the armband in Manyisa’s absence - after coach Eric Tinkler revealed he was incorrectly shown to have been booked for a yellow card that was meant for Thandani Ntshumayelo.
“A lot of people have bad flashes of 2013,” Erasmus said.
“There is an opportunity for us to change that and write our names in the history books of the club. You aren’t guaranteed to play in another final of this magnitude regularly, so when you do you must make the most of it.
“For us as a team, it has been a good journey. We will give everything that we have in the second leg. We have nothing to lose. The only major difference between them and us is height. They’re slow but have good technical abilities. I don’t think that there is any African team that has better players than South African players in this tournament. Zamalek played well, they gave us a shock and a wake-up call when they beat us 4-1 (in Egypt in the group stage). The fact that we are in the final has made us believe in ourselves more. I think that the nation should believe in South African players more, not just in the national team but also at club level.” - The Star