Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has broken his silence on striker Souaibou Marou’s exit, saying it bowed down to other players who were better in the striker’s role.
Marou joined Pirates in January 2023 from Cameroonian giants Coton Sport FC. This was after he formed part of the Indomitable Lions’ 2022 FIFA World Cup squad in Qatar.
The 23-year-old made nine appearances across all competitions in the famous black and white, scoring just one goal. He won two Nedbank Cup trophies and one MTN8 trophy with Pirates.
Speaking to Thabiso Mosia on Radio 2000’s Game On, Riveiro mentioned that Marou gave his best but had other players who stood head and shoulders above him.
“Nothing really concrete, it’s one of the positions we have more numbers. We started with Zakhele [Lepasa] getting the starting role he managed to be the top goalscorer in the MTN8,” Riveiro said.
“The form of Evidence Makgopa was exceptionally important in a certain period of the league. After AFCON was the time for Tshego Mabasa the golden boot in the PSL.
“Nothing is the responsibility of Marou as a player. He gave his all from the first day until the last day. He was a good professional, a good player for us and he tried his best every day that’s what I can tell you.
“But this case, the coach was not willing to give him the proper opportunity because of the reasons I mentioned before. Sometimes things are not released how good or how bad you are as a football player, it’s just the momentum.”
The Garoua-born marksman agreed to a mutual termination of his contract, which was valid until 30 June 2025.
