It appears that Salim Magoola won’t be in goals again when Richards Bay host Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Magoola’s belief appears to be the reason that he won’t play in this game that is sponsored by the SA brewery company.
The Ugandan international is of Islamic belief, and since this competition is sponsored by Carling Black Label, it is highly likely that he won’t play against Pirates after already missing the Last 16 clash and this was hinted by his coach Kaitano Tembo.
Philasande Manqele is set to start for Bay just like he did when the Natal Rich Boyz beat Moroka Swallows in the first round of this competition.
Magoola missed that game due to his beliefs and Bay didn’t want to take a chance in fear of getting caught in disciplinary action for failure to display the Carling Black Label logo on his jersey for him to play, just like Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town Spurs had done.
Those two clubs appeared to have defied directives by not displaying the Carling Black Label logo on the kits of Abdelmounaim Boutoul and Reyaad Pieterse when Sundowns lost to TS Galaxy, while Nazeer Allie followed that up when Spurs lost to Orlando Pirates.
As Bay suffered yet another league loss to Cape Town City at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday, Magoola was beaten three times, with City scoring all those goals in the first half to win 3-1 and Tembo admitted that he might have got it wrong in his selection and confirmed Manqele will get his chance in the Carling Cup.
“At some point you also want to protect the youngster [Manqele] not to put him under unnecessary pressure,” argued Tembo first when asked why he didn’t keep Manqele after he played well against Swallows.
“At same time we started thinking maybe we could have continued [with Manqele]. But I think the youngster will get his opportunity because he’s still going to play in the Carling Cup and we also have another two goalkeepers injured – Malcolm Jacobs and Jackson Mabokgwane.
“We only have Salim as well as Philasande, but that is good observation [from the media].”
City’s goals as they beat Bay were scored by Jaeden Rhodes, who grabbed a brace, and the other by Khanyisa Mayo.
Bay is without a win at home since beating Swallows on 31 December last year. They have lost 11 of the 14 league matches in their backyard after that.
