Why did Orlando Pirates play ‘weak’ Magesi? ‘It was a strategic decision’

On Saturday, Orlando Pirates made a gigantic step toward the Premier Soccer League crown for the first time since 2011/12 campaign.

The Soweto giants claimed a 3-0 victory against relegation-threatened Magesi in the South African top-flight football. Wins in the last two games against Durban City and Orbit College respectively will see Bucs getting crowned to end Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance.

Masandawana have won nine PSL titles in the last 10 years, eight of which have been consecutive. In the last three years, the Sea Robbers finished second behind the Brazilians, but in this edition, things have been different.

Dikwena Tsa Meetse were criticised for fielding what appeared to be a weakened team against the in-form Orlando Pirates. But coach Allan Freese has explained why some of his stars were missing in action.

Magesi’s top players were unavailable

“This is not entirely accurate (that Magesi made things a bit easier for Pirates),” Freese said as quoted by KickOff.

“While some of our top players were unavailable, we have players on loan from Pirates who are ineligible to face their parent club. Additionally, injuries and suspensions due to accumulated yellow cards affected our selection.

“It was a strategic decision to either risk our players in this match or to rest them for the final two fixtures,” he added.

Magesi are at the bottom of the table with 21 points, three points from safety. On Saturday, they will be up against Siwelele before ending their campaign with a home fixture versus Richards Bay.