Lekgwathi gives Maela advice over Pirates captaincy – ‘You don’t own a position’

Published on by Joel Oliver

Ex-Bucs skipper has told the defender to worry less over the armband

Former Orlando Pirates defender Lucky Lekgwathi has told club captain Innocent Maela not to expect to play regularly because he is the skipper.

Maela has had to contend with spells on the bench at Pirates particularity last season with coach Jose Riveiro preferring others in defence with the captain’s armband rotating among the players.

Olisa Ndah has led the team on occasions, including in last weekend’s MTN8 quarter-final win against SuperSport United, while Tapelo Xoki also had that responsibility with Maela coming off the bench in most of his recent matches.

That has led to questions over whether Riveiro should hand the armband to someone else or make Maela a regular starter but Lekgwathi has a word of caution.

Maela

Should Riveiro hand the Pirates captaincy to a regular starter?

“Let me tell you, as a captain, you don’t own a position. Not to say that you are the captain, then you must play regularly,” he told FARPost.

“If there is competition within the team and you don’t deserve to play, then it’s obvious. But I believe he [Maela] is a good player and he must wait for his chance to come. Whenever he comes to the team, he always does well.

“I’m so happy about everything he does for the team and the way he conducts himself because if it was other people not playing regularly they would then get angry.”

Ex-defender reveals Pirates' secret weapon to win league next season
Orlando Pirates coach, José Riviero having a chat with Thalente Mbatha during pre-season training at Sturrock Park, Wits Sports Complex in Johannesburg on 5 July 2024. Picture by Thabang Lepule/Orlando Pirates Football Club

Lekgwathi thrilled by the healthy competition at his ex-club

Lekgwathi is not bothered by who wears the armband at Pirates and is only concerned about the results which he believes will keep improving given the competition within the squad.

“The boy is always happy and whenever he gets the chance to play, he always does a great job. And other players who get to be captains, also delivered, like last week, the captain was Olisa Ndah and he has done a marvellous job. He even scored a goal and that must be a good motivation for Maela and others.

“You know one thing I like about Orlando Pirates, they have got a healthy competition in each and every position. Credit should go to the coaches as they know how to balance the team and to give all the players a chance to play.”

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Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.