Sibisi Insists No Bad Blood With Durban City Ahead Of MTN8 clash

Orlando Pirates defender Nkosinathi Sibisi says there is no bad blood between his side and Durban City captain Siphamandla Ncanana ahead of Saturday’s MTN8 quarter-final.

The two teams will meet at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday afternoon as they begin their MTN8 campaign.

In the build-up to the fixture, some Pirates supporters revisited comments made by Ncanana last season when he remarked, “Pirates is just a name.” Many viewed Saturday’s encounter as an opportunity for the Buccaneers to respond.

Ncanana made the remarks after being named Man of the Match when Durban City held Pirates in the penultimate league match of last season, a result that dented the Buccaneers’ title hopes.

Pitso Dladla’s side successfully neutralised Pirates’ attacking threat at Orlando Amstel Arena, where the hosts needed all three points to strengthen their push for the league title.

However, Pirates bounced back by defeating Orbit College 2-0 in their final league match to secure the championship for the first time in 14 years while also completing a record third PSL treble.

Sibisi, however, insists the team has moved on from last season’s events. He believes Ncanana’s comments were made in the heat of the moment and were never intended to cause offence.

“Look, it’s a different competition. For us, it’s water under the bridge,” Sibisi said.

“We’re just looking forward to playing a good Durban City side on Saturday. I don’t think we should focus on what happened last season. Emotions run high in football, and sometimes people say things they probably shouldn’t. I don’t think it came from a bad place or was intended to cause harm. As I’ve said, we’re preparing to face a good opponent.”

Pirates, who began the defence of their league title with a 2-0 victory over newly promoted Milford last weekend, are chasing a record-extending fifth consecutive MTN8 title.

Durban City, meanwhile, have not beaten Pirates since 2014, when Mohamed Anas scored twice in a victory for Steve Komphela’s Maritzburg United.