Riveiro: The League Table Is Dangerous

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro expressed his desire for all teams in the Betway Premiership to have played an equal number of matches, stating that the current table presents a misleading picture, especially concerning log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Pirates secured their second position in the Betway Premiership table with 36 points after their comeback victory against Cape Town City on Saturday, marking the halfway point of the season. However, Sundowns extended their lead at the top to 12 points with a 4-1 win over TS Galaxy, despite having played three more games than Pirates.  

Riveiro, whose team has been chasing Sundowns for three seasons, emphasized that games in hand do not automatically translate to points and that he would prefer a level playing field in terms of matches played.

“We have three games in hand, but we must capitalize on those games by earning points,” Riveiro stated. “Otherwise, they mean nothing. This is my personal opinion. I understand the unique situation this season, with the delayed start and the challenges we faced at the beginning.”

The league campaign commenced in September, later than usual, due to the last-minute withdrawal of DStv as the headline sponsor and the subsequent replacement by Betway.  

“On Saturday, that was our 32nd or 33rd game in all competitions, if I’m not mistaken,” Riveiro continued. “But are still in February and this is our game number 15 in the league, which is something usually not like that. 

“So, I would like all of us to be in the same number of games so we really know where we are because it is dangerous picture to see, for all of us, that the top of table team is on nine points, 10 or 12 points far from us when it’s not totally real.  

“There’s still a possibility to get close, but we have to work hard to get close. 

“But it can be something for the fans, not for us, but sometimes I look at the table … I don’t do it now.  

“I used to look at the table in after four, five games maybe to see. But I’m not a person who is permanently doing the maths there.  

“There’s nothing for me to gain with that, but I wish we could play the same number of games. But there’s nothing we can do right now; we’re just trying to do our best.”   

Pirates’ scheduled match against Royal AM on Tuesday has been postponed indefinitely. Their next fixture is against Marumo Gallants at Toyota Stadium on Saturday.