Orlando Pirates News Today: Radiopane return explained

Here is what is making news around Orlando Pirates in the last 24 hours, Boitumelo Radiopane’s return and more.

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Ex-Chiefs & Bucs striker lauds Rele

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates striker Lehlohonolo Majoro has praised Relebohile Mofokeng, labelling him as a ‘true definition’ of what his striker academy, MESSA, is teaching and aims to achieve.

➡️ Majoro: For Mofokeng To Do That At His Age…

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Lehlohonolo Majoro has praised Relebohile Mofokeng, labelling him as a ‘true definition’ of what his striker academy, MESSA, is teaching and aims to achieve.

MORE: https://t.co/ZrJvkUC0Ee pic.twitter.com/T9Zo0sYSid
— Soccer Laduma (@Soccer_Laduma) April 19, 2026

“Yes, we know we have talent, but the sooner we teach our kids, the youngsters, that the reason we play football is to move from our half to the other half, to score goals. People take scoring goals for granted, it’s a skill, that’s why goalkeepers, every day they train in front of the goal-posts, they need to know their position, their distances, they need to know how to attack balls played into the box,” Majoro said.

“But as strikers, sometimes it takes you the whole two sessions before you can even play in the 18 area. Sometimes you can say, ‘Let me take soccer balls and go kick,’ but it’s not the same, because what’s the point of doing it without proper guidance?

“Sometimes it’s not only about scoring but having someone you can talk to, who has walked the path. Sometimes you lose confidence in yourself because you’ve tried so many things.”

Ouaddou on Radiopane’s return after injury

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has given his verdict on the return of Boitumelo Radiopane to the matchday squad after an injury setback.

“I think it’s a choice from the technical staff [to leave out Makgopa]. Radiopane has been working for a long time to come back. If you remember, just before going to the [2025 AFCON in December] break, he played against the All Stars team, and he scored,” Ouaddou said.

“He did a good performance, he’s giving his best in training, we thought that it was a good moment to give him some playing time, and we managed the group like that. In terms of game-time, it’s important for our strikers to be competitive.

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has given his verdict on the return of Boitumelo Radiopane to the matchday squad after an injury setback.#FARPost https://t.co/aQSHBIUUYT
— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) April 19, 2026

“We thought that the fact that Evidence needed maybe 90 minutes, we brought in Radiopane to give him the confidence of being with the team, it’s been a long time. It means a lot for him to know that the technical team is looking at him.”