Sibisi led his side to a first Betway Premiership title in 14 years and he did not waste time dedicating the squads achievement to two players who were not there.
Mbokazi departed for Chicago Fire in January while Mabasa moved on to Stellenbosch FC on loan earlier in the campaign. Sibisi made clear their contributions to the title run should not be forgotten.
“Credit to the guys who are not with us – Mbokazi and Mabasa. These guys are part of us and unfortunately they had to leave in January. But this one goes to them. The reason I’m sitting here is because these guys never left us and it means a lot to me.”
The captain also reflected on what made this Pirates side different – a record-breaking season built on youth, resilience and a never-give-up mentality that was tested repeatedly throughout the campaign.
“From the very first game we knew that after finishing second so many times, we had to close that gap,” Sibisi said. “That was the first step, and for the club to bring in the players that they bought, quality, quality players, to add value to what we’ve been doing, credit to them.”
“There’s been records broken left, right and centre. To do it with such a young squad speaks volumes of this club. Simphiwe Selepe is an international player as young as he is – these younger guys have been delivering week in, week out.”
“To be able to cope with that kind of pressure, from the supporters, from the media, from everyone, it speaks volumes. It can only grow from here.”
He saved his final words for coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
“The man, the myth. Coach Ouaddou is a top, top human being and a top coach. You can tell by the number of clean sheets we kept and the number of goals we scored. It’s been a pleasure working with him.”
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
