Pirates’ Zinnbauer understands calls for him to fired

Josef Zinnbauer, coach of Orlando Pirates

Thursday May 27, 2021. 13:00

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says he “can understand” calls from supporters for him to be fired after the team’s under-performance this season.

The Buccaneers may have broken their long trophy drought by winning the MTN8 early in the current season, but they have been unable to assert themselves in the DStv Premiership (where a second-place finish is the best they can hope for) and last weekend saw them exit the CAF Confederation Cup after a 5-1 aggregate humbling at the hands of Morocco’s Raja Casablanca.

Pirates will play a catch-up game in the DStv Premiership at home to AmaZulu on Thursday evening, and in the build-up to the clash Zinnbauer has admitted he can see the side of frustrated supporters, but also emphasised the progress that has been made.

“It is always like this that you have some supporters who are upset after games that you have lost. It’s totally normal — I can understand the supporters,” the Bucs boss is quoted by TimesLive [https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2021-05-26-pirates-coach-zinnbauer-on-calls-for-his-head-its-totally-normal-i-can-understand-the-supporters/].

“But you have the other side of the supporters who give you positives. Don’t forget we won a title this year‚ we went through [the Confederation Cup] group stage‚ and were in the quarterfinals.

“Yeah‚ you can say all the negatives and always find the negative points. But we see the other side also.

“Success is not always the first point that you have in a team‚ especially in these Covid-19 times‚ and how many games you have now‚ and how many injured players.

“You have to learn from these mistakes that you made‚ as a coach‚ as a squad. And then you go forward and it’s all happy when we get success.”

Zinnbauer was asked about the plans being made on social media for a protest against his continuing as coach.

“Yeah‚ it’s not only in Africa — it’s like this over the whole world. You look at England‚ Germany‚ it’s always that when you have lost games the supporters are upset‚” Zinnbauer said.

“We can work as coaches‚ we encounter the next game‚ we win the next game‚ win the next two games‚ then it’s all OK.”