‘I Don’t Feel Okay’ — Sikhosana Refuses To Celebrate The Buccaneers’ Treble

Orlando Pirates legend Jerry Sikhosana has openly questioned the manner in which his former club clinched the Betway Premiership title, admitting he cannot join the celebrations after a controversial final-day match.

Sikhosana, who cemented his legendary status by scoring the winning goal for the Buccaneers in the 1995 CAF Champions League final, expressed deep dismay over the goals that handed Pirates their victory against Orbit College.

The Soweto giants secured a 2-0 win at Mbombela Stadium late last month, but both goals came via bizarre own goals from the opposition.

While the result sealed a historic domestic treble and a first league title in 14 years for Pirates, it condemned Orbit College to relegation into the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

The suspicious nature of the own goals has cast a shadow over the achievement, with many fans and pundits left underwhelmed by the anti-climactic finale.

“I don’t feel okay,” Sikhosana said when asked how he felt as a Pirates fan and club legend following the league triumph during the Khabba Cup trophy celebrations in Durban on Sunday.

“People are saying that after 14 years it was a mammoth task, and they are thankful that Pirates won the league. But people are also looking at how they won it.

“The two goals were scored for them, and the players who scored those own goals were laughing on the field as if they had done something good.

“But, yes, they ended up destroying their chances of staying in the elite league, the Betway Premiership. I don’t know what Orbit were doing. Let me just stay away from this.

“I need to move away from it.”

Sikhosana’s criticism stems from a place of deep concern for South African football standards, which Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, several times questioned the match scheduling and the venues they were playing at, unlike Pirates

Known affectionately as “Legs of Thunder” during his playing days, he remains a towering figure in club history.

In addition to his continental heroics against ASEC Mimosas, he is the last player to score a hat-trick in a Soweto Derby, having dismantled Kaizer Chiefs 4-1 in the 1996 Bob Save Super Bowl semi-finals.

Sikhosana also sits as the joint-second all-time top scorer for Pirates in the Soweto Derby with seven goals—level with Alfred “Russia” Jacobs, and just two behind Dr. Jomo Sono’s record of nine.

Meanwhile, questions surrounding the technical bench have finally been put to rest. Following the title-clinching match, head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou sparked intense speculation about his future by admitting he was “tired.”

However, the tactician has since reassured the Ghost that he will remain at the helm to lead the league champions next season.