Orlando Pirates Player of the Season Andile Jali has given his full backing to Orlando Pirates coach Ruud Krol, saying on Wednesday that the Buccaneers “cannot allow” him to leave.
Krol said Wednesday that he had still not spoken with Pirates management about renewing his contract, which expired at the end of this season, a campaign in which Pirates won the Absa Premiership, the Nedbank Cup and the MTN 8.
And Jali was in no doubt about whether his coach should stay. “It will be very important that we retain him, because if we change coach now, and we have to retain three trophies with a new style of play, we will have to start all over again. We cannot allow it.”
Jali picked up R150 000 for the top award at the Pirates ceremony in Boksburg on Wednesday, adding to the Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament he won at last weekend’s Premier Soccer League awards.
Many felt Jali should have picked up the overall PSL Footballer of the Year award that went to Ajax Cape Town’s Thulani Serero, but the Buccaneers and Bafana midfielder said: “I am not disappointed, I am not too concerned about not winning the overall player of the year. I am glad I have done well with the team and I am happy with this achievement.”
Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza gave his players and technical staff extra reason for cheer, meanwhile, when he announced that they would receive 75-percent of all the Buccaneers’ tournament winning this season.
Pirates won R10-million for the Absa Premiership, R6-million for the Nedbank Cup, R8-million for the MTN8 and a further R1,75-million for finishing as runners up in the Telkom Knockout. This means they will walk away with a share of around R19,3-million.
Other winners on the night were Lucky Lekgwathi, who won R100 000 for the Chairman’s Award, Happy Jele, who won R50 000 as the Players’ Player of the Season, and Oupa Manyisa, who picked up R30 000 as Pirates’ Most Improved Player.