Jose Riveiro explains why Mohau Nkota moved abroad ahead of Rele Mofokeng

Published on by

Jose Riveiro explains why Mohau Nkota moved abroad ahead of Rele Mofokeng
Image - Star

Former Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riviero agrees that Relebohile Mofokeng was the favourite to land a deal abroad ahead of Mohau Nkota but the player could have been affected by other factors.

Riveiro is thrilled by the career path of Nkota, who now plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, having moved to the club in the summer transfer window after just one season in the PSL after he had been promoted to the senior team by the Spanish coach in the 2024-25 campaign.

The 21-year-old has since become a key player for his club and Bafana Bafana and his ex-coach is in awe at how quickly he rose to prominence while predicting that more players will also get lucrative moves overseas soon.

Mohau Nkota celebrates after scoring on his debut for Al Ettifaq

Riveiro delighted by Nkota’s transfer to Saudi?

“Good for him, good for the league to attract even more attention,” Riveiro told Andile Ncube on Sports Night Live.

“I think those transfers with young players is something that will benefit everybody in the long run, in the long term. I think the participation of Mohau in the league was short from his debut till he left. We are talking about maybe I don’t know seven, eight months.

“So, [I’m] happy for him, happy for the league, for the club as well and I don’t think he’s the last talent that is going to move out. I think it’s always controversial, you know to say it’s good to lose talent in our league.

“But at the same time, you are creating space for somebody else who is coming behind, and I think everybody gets to benefit from that.”

Why did Mofokeng not move abroad first?

Commenting on Mofokeng’s failure to land a deal abroad, Riveiro says many factors could have been at play which were beyond the control of the player.

“Somehow [Mofokeng was favourite to move first], but football in a way is unpredictable. There are a lot of things happening in the transfers and the movements and everything must come at the right time,” he added.

Relebohile Mofokeng Orlando Pirates
Image – Pirates

Nkota left Pirates after netting seven goals while providing five assists in 39 games which were enough to convince the Saudi club to hand him a lucrative three-year deal and he has so far played nine matches, scoring two goals and providing as many assists for them.

The winger has so far earned seven Bafana Bafana caps and he has five-goal involvements for the national team ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup.  

<!-- Author Start -->Joel Oliver<!-- Author End -->

Joel Oliver

Author

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.

You May Also Like