Give Benni a chance as Pirates coach, says Zuma

Cape Town - Former Orlando Pirates attacking midfielder Sibusiso Zuma has urged club chairperson Irvin Khoza to give Benni McCarthy a chance as head coach.

Zuma and McCarthy are both past Pirates players, but during different eras.

Zuma played for the Mayfair side between 1998-2000 before departing for Europe while McCarthy joined Pirates in 2011.

However, the two are familiar with one another having played alongside each other for Bafana Bafana during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"I'll be very happy if they can give my boy a chance, Benni," Zuma said, in an exclusive interview with Sport24.

"We need to start trusting our players because I think we believe more in people we don't know, people who have never played football.

"We'll go and get someone in Bulgaria that we don't know nothing about. 

"Let's give our people a chance. I'm voting for him (McCarthy as Pirates head coach)," Zuma concluded.

The Buccaneers have been without a coach since November last year after the sudden resignation of Muhsin Ertugral.

The former Ajax Cape Town mentor announced his departure on live television after Pirates suffered a 6-1 defeat against SuperSport United.

Khoza has been relying on Augusto Palacios as the club's interim coach to bring stability to the side while the hierarchy search for a new head coach.

It was not until last Saturday that fans finally had enough and expressed their displeasure with the club's recent performances.

Mamelodi Sundowns thumped Pirates 6-0, and before the final whistle sounded, disgruntled fans broke television cables and rushed to the field to clash with their opposing supporters. 

At a press conference held in Johannesburg earlier in the week, Khoza revealed that the situation forced the club to make an official announcement on Monday, February 20 as to who the club's head coach will be.

The Buccaneers couldn't redeem themselves - although they played far better - on Wednesday evening as Wits handed the Sowetan giants a 2-1 defeat at Orlando Stadium.

Pirates will next face Cape Town City in an Absa Premiership clash on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 20:15.