Pirates’ players on their own

ORLANDO Pirates will be without their head coach Shepherd Murape, when they meet a red-hot Ramblers side in what could be a scintillating clash billed for the Independence Stadium tonight.

Kick-off is at 19h00. Murape was asked to stop coaching the side by his boss, Hendrik Dawids, who at the weekend was given the mandate to take full control of the team for a record 15 years, as per a new agreement with the club supporters and the former management team.Murape is contracted to Dawids and will be in the stands when Pirates take on Ramblers, who are coming from a 2-0 win over Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) in a FNB Cup semi-final clash at the weekend.The decision by Dawids to withdraw Murape from the team’s training was caused by differences between the team’s management and supporters, who could not agree on what the role of the new owner would be.A meeting at the weekend resolved that Dawids took over for 15 years, a first of its kind in Namibian football, making him the sole owner and his aim would be driving the club into a commercial entity.Dawids will also be the investor in the club, while he will take control of the administration and pay players.Tonight, the attention will be diverted to the all-important clash between the two teams, who are regarded as strong title contenders this season.Ramblers are third on the log, just a point behind leaders Civics and Black Africa, while Pirates are on the fifth spot.Ramblers, who are coming from a blazing performance against SKW at the weekend, will be going into the match with their heads high, while Pirates will be expected to dig deep as they have lost their last three encounters, a scenario not well accepted by their massive fan base.Ramblers welcomes back Michael Pienaar and Pineas Jacob from the national team, while Pirates will be without their defensive stalwart, Richard Gariseb, who has gone back to his former club, Bidvest Wits in South Africa.Gariseb was on loan from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) side and has played in all five league matches for Pirates so far.Another setback for Pirates will be the absence of their solid defensive midfielder, Ellington Tjirimuje, who is reported to have migrated to England.Ramblers coaches Tollie van Wyk and David Fransman will look at capitalising on especially the vulnerability of the Pirates defence, while their strikers, who have relatively been on target with their shots at goal, will be gunning for it once again.The match will be won one by the side which manages to control the midfield, an area in which Pirates is blessed with talented players, but the defenders will have an added responsibility as both teams have rampant strikers too.A win for Pirates will be consolation for at least two weeks of turmoil in the club, while a win for Ramblers will take them top of the table before the Friday encounter between Civics and Tigers.Murape was asked to stop coaching the side by his boss, Hendrik Dawids, who at the weekend was given the mandate to take full control of the team for a record 15 years, as per a new agreement with the club supporters and the former management team.Murape is contracted to Dawids and will be in the stands when Pirates take on Ramblers, who are coming from a 2-0 win over Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) in a FNB Cup semi-final clash at the weekend.The decision by Dawids to withdraw Murape from the team’s training was caused by differences between the team’s management and supporters, who could not agree on what the role of the new owner would be.A meeting at the weekend resolved that Dawids took over for 15 years, a first of its kind in Namibian football, making him the sole owner and his aim would be driving the club into a commercial entity.Dawids will also be the investor in the club, while he will take control of the administration and pay players.Tonight, the attention will be diverted to the all-important clash between the two teams, who are regarded as strong title contenders this season.Ramblers are third on the log, just a point behind leaders Civics and Black Africa, while Pirates are on the fifth spot.Ramblers, who are coming from a blazing performance against SKW at the weekend, will be going into the match with their heads high, while Pirates will be expected to dig deep as they have lost their last three encounters, a scenario not well accepted by their massive fan base.Ramblers welcomes back Michael Pienaar and Pineas Jacob from the national team, while Pirates will be without their defensive stalwart, Richard Gariseb, who has gone back to his former club, Bidvest Wits in South Africa.Gariseb was on loan from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) side and has played in all five league matches for Pirates so far.Another setback for Pirates will be the absence of their solid defensive midfielder, Ellington Tjirimuje, who is reported to have migrated to England.Ramblers coaches Tollie van Wyk and David Fransman will look at capitalising on especially the vulnerability of the Pirates defence, while their strikers, who have relatively been on target with their shots at goal, will be gunning for it once again.The match will be won one by the side which manages to control the midfield, an area in which Pirates is blessed with talented players, but the defenders will have an added responsibility as both teams have rampant strikers too.A win for Pirates will be consolation for at least two weeks of turmoil in the club, while a win for Ramblers will take them top of the table before the Friday encounter between Civics and Tigers.