Innocent Maela hopes Durban again comes good for Bucs

Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela hopes the Moses Mabhida Stadium continues being their happy hunting ground as they face Stellenbosch in the MTN8 final there tomorrow (6pm).

Pirates won the previous two MTN8 finals at the Durban venue. "It's true that we've had good moments playing at Moses Mabhida in the past. Durban has always been good to us. Hopefully, it will be the same on Saturday,'' Maela said.

"The Ghost", as Pirates fans are nicknamed, is expected to paint the Durban venue black and white as tickets were sold out in less than four hours. Maela lauded the support they always get in Durban, explaining how their supporters give them that "competitive edge". 

"We have to give credit to our supporters in Durban, they always come in numbers and push us, giving us that competitive edge. The supporters are always important to us. When they are there, you want to play to make them happy,'' Maela said.

"When you play in front of them, you can feel that they're pushing you. When they are singing, you can tell that these people really care about the club. We really appreciate our supporters."

Maela also made a bold claim about his coach Jose Riveiro, who's impressively won four cups for the club since his arrival in July 2022, saying they knew from the onset that they had a "top" coach in the Spaniard. 

"Honestly, from the first day we knew we had a good coach. I've said it so many times and I've given credit to the coach and the technical team for how we prepare for matches and how everyone is involved within the group,'' Maela said.

"The coach gives the platform to everyone to express themselves ... we've seen examples in the previous seasons. From the first day, we knew we had a top coach, a good human-being, a father figure to us, and we only wanted to play our best football and give our best for him and his former assistant coach [Sergio Almenara].

"So, it's been a journey, a good journey so far. There's been ups and downs, obviously, but we're enjoying working with the coach and his technical team."

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