Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro appeals to the club’s fans to stop booing their own players, particularly striker Evidence Makgopa.
Makgopa has been the subject of boos from some sections of the Pirates crowd in recent matches following a string of missed chances.
The striker was booed by the Bucs fans in the 1-1 draw against Polokwane City in a DStv Premiership clash on Friday evening in Soweto, Orlando Stadium.
However, Riveiro has defended his player and has urged the fans to get behind him instead.
Makgopa has been the go-to striker in the absence of Zakhele Lepasa, who is on the sidelines due to an injury sustained while on national duty with Bafana Bafana.
Lepasa had raised the standards before the injury, scoring 10 goals in 14 games across all competitions.
And with him out, Makgopa has been struggling to pose any threat. He has netted a single goal, which came in the CAF Champions League against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy.
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And as much as Riveiro understands the fans’ frustrations, he insisted that booing the players is not the answer.
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“I think for a 23-year-old guy like Evidence (Makgopa) who’s playing his first games for Pirates, it’s important to feel that we support him,” said Riveiro.
“And when I say we, I mean all of us, the coaching staff, his teammates and the fans. “So it goes without saying that the atmosphere is supportive.
We play with a lot of young players nowadays, and it’s important that we protect them because we all get the benefit of that.
If whoever is in the number nine position feels that we trust him, it’s going to be much more easy to score goals.
“At the same time, we are all professionals, and we have to handle the heat; if you can’t handle the heat, you better get out of the kitchen.
So we have to accept it, and players try to do things as good as possible. I remember last season, we had a similar situation with one of our strikers [Terrence Dzvukamanja].
“He came on with few minutes to go, we were 1-1 against Golden Arrows, and suddenly he scored a goal and gave us three points, the people got quiet.
“Makgopa came close to scoring a second goal (against Polokwane City), so it’s a good signal that even though things were not easy for him, he continued trying.
He wants to show everyone around that he’s a good player and he has the level to play for Pirates.”