Riveiro concedes Pirates’ mistake and reveals why he is in Mzansi

Spaniard tactician Jose Riveiro has refuted claims he was not interested in extending his stay at Orlando Pirates because of an enticing offer from Al Ahly.

Coach Riveiro served the Soweto giants for years before opting to leave ahead of the 2025/26 edition. During his time at the club, the Buccaneers won five trophies and finished second in the Premier Soccer League for three times in row.

In his last season, Pirates reached the semi-final of the CAF Champions League before falling against Pyramids who went all the way to beating Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.

A section of Bucs fans felt Riveiro wanted a bigger chunk with the Red Devils, but, according to him, that wasn't the case. However, he concedes leaving before the season ended was a mistake.

Pirates knew I was leaving

“I don't know if people understood the nature of my decision at that time, but I didn't leave Pirates because I moved to Al Ahly,” the Spaniard said in his interview with SNAWA.

“It was a decision that was made a long, long time ago. They [Pirates] knew, and Ahly came later. The only thing that I didn't like about what happened was the fact that I moved before the season ends here. I wasn't happy about that.

“It was a must, yeah, from Ahly [to prepare for the FIFA Club World Cup]… But I didn't have any other option at that time; I had to do it in that way.

“I was lucky that the club helped me a lot, Pirates. Pirates people were backing me all the time, and they made everything easy for me to find a way to be there on time. I had the possibility to play that [FIFA Club] World Cup,” Riveiro added.

Why is Riveiro in South Africa?

The tactician is currently in the country which, as usual, has invited speculations about taking another coaching job. However, he has clarified that he is in Mzansi after an invite by Carling Black Label ahead of the Carling Knockout Cup final between Orlando Pirates and Marumo Gallants scheduled for December 6.

“I’ve been part of the Black Label journey for three years already, two special ones in the last two years,” he told SuperSport's Thomas Mlambo.

now I have the opportunity to be part of the brand for a couple of weeks to make sure that we have an exciting tournament in the end. That's why [I'm in South Africa],” he concluded.