I-ORLANDO Pirates iyona engacacisa ngekusasa lomgadli wayo okuphele isizini edlule eqiwa ijezi, uZakhele Lepasa, okulokhu kuvele njalo ukuthi ufunwa uthuli amaqembu amabili adlala esigabeni esikhulu sePremier Soccer League (PSL).
Nakuba uLepasa engomunye wabadlali abayiqalise okomlilo wequbula isizini edlule kodwa ithe iqambe iyophela abaningi bese bemkhohliwe kwazise ijezi kwiPirates belimeqa ekhona.
Ngenxa yokungabonakali kwalo mgadli weBafana Bafana esikimini sePirates, kuqale izinkulumo ngekusasa lakhe kwazise isizini edlule isongwe sekucacile ukuthi umqeqeshi wePirates, uJose Riveiro, ukholelwa koTshegofatso Mabasa no-Evidence Makgopa.
ULepasa (27) udlalele iPirates kwengu-15 yeligi ngesizini edlule kodwa wahluleka ukwengeza kumagoli amathathu awashaye kusanda kuqala isizini.
Ngaphandle kwalawo magoli, lo mgadli oke wabolekiswa kwiSuperSport United, ushayele iPirates ambalwa kwiCaf Champions League abawashiswe kuyona ijezi ekuseni kodwa futhi ubenesandla ekunqobeni kwaleli qembu i-MTN 8.
Ohambweni lwakamuva lwePirates lwaseSpain, uLepasa ubengekho esikimini emidlalweni yePlymouth Argyle yase-England nakoweGranada yakuleliya lizwe.
Lo mgadli okhulele kwiPirates ubesebhentshini kwiwini yeSevilla kanjalo nakowenduku yompetha baseQatar, i-Al Sadd.
Kwale noma sekulimele uMakgopa kule khempu, kwacaca ukuthi uRiveiro uqhubeka ngoMabasa bese emsondezela abadlali abafana noKarim Kimvuidi, Kabelo Dlamini nesibabuli esisha sePirates sase-Angola, uGilberto.
“ULepasa unenkontileka nePirates ngakho-ke mina angingeni ekutheni kukhona abamfunayo noma kukhona ababona isimo sakhe singesihle kuyona,” kusho uSteve Kapeluschnik obheke izindaba zalo mdlali.
“Alikho iqembu eselike langithinta lingazisa ngokufuna kwalo (uLepasa) kodwa uma kwenzeka lokho ngizolitshela ukuthi alikhulume nePirates bavumelane ngokudayiselana kumbe ukubolekana bese kuba ima bengithinta,” kusho yena.
Ngaphandle kweSuperSport, uLepasa ake ayiqhululela amagoli kumasizini ambalwa adlule imboleke kwiPirates, iSekhukhune United elinye lamaqembu okuthiwa ayamnyonyobela.
Njengenjwayelo iPirates ayisho lutho ngabadlali kuze kube isikhathi lapho imemezela khona ngendlela yayo.
Kusengenzeka ukuthi iPirates ithule nje ibona uLepasa njengesikhali njengoba iya kwiChampions League.
Kuzokhumbuleka nokuthi iPirates isanda kukhulula abagadli oKermit Erasmus, Souaibo Marou noBienvenu Eva Nga, bonke ezingakavalwa izikhala zabo.