A former Orlando Pirates star grew up supporting Kaizer Chiefs but now he’s a devoted Buccaneers fan for life.
Manamela once supported Kaizer Chiefs
Ex-Orlando Pirates star Sepeke Manamela almost joined Bidvest Wits before Orlando Pirates swooped in to sign him.
“Growing up, I looked up to my brother Jesiah Manamela, who I followed after. He was a talented footballer, even though he never turned professional. He played similarly to Zane Moosa. I supported Kaizer Chiefs because they had almost all my favourite players. My brother was also a big fan of Kaizer Chiefs. I wanted to emulate Shakes Kungwane, who was a left-footer but ironically ended up playing against them. I always aimed to beat them because I believed that Chiefs signed every player who gave them a tough time. However, I am now a devoted fan of Orlando Pirates.” Manamela admitted to KickOff.com.
“I was supposed to sign with Bidvest Wits FC, but Orlando Pirates captured my heart, and I chose to join them.” said Manamela whose best friend in football is Pirates legend Happy Jele.
Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs H2H stats
Pirates have held the upper hand in recent meetings between these great Soweto rivals. The Buccaneers have won the last three meetings across all competitions, including each of the last two in the league. That stopped a curious and somewhat surprising run of five consecutive wins for Chiefs in Soweto Derby league clashes with the Sea Robbers. Most memorably, Yusuf Maart scored the only goal, and what a goal it was, in a 1-0 win for the Glamour Boys in October 2022. Chiefs won a quintet of Betway Pem clashes on the bounce against Pirates between March 2021 and February 2023. They’d love to build up a run like that again.
Amakhosi’s defensive record is a cause for concern
Much is said about Amakhosi’s inability to finish off the chances they create and that fuels rumours of various strikers seemingly on the brink of joining the club. It’s true, Chiefs’ attack is dismally underperforming. They only scored 25 goals in the entire 2023-2024 campaign. So far this term, there’s been a slight uptick with 14 goals from the opening 10 outings. The biggest issue, however, lies at the back. Chiefs have kept only ONE clean sheet this season in the Betway Premiership. Chiefs remain in the hunt for a striker but they’ve got to tidy things up at the back first.
Who will win the next Soweto Derby?
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