Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine targets repeat league titles after historic triumph

Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine says the club must turn last season’s league success into a regular achievement, using their run of four consecutive MTN8 titles as the standard they want to match.

Pirates ended a 14-year wait for the league championship last season, with Chaine making a significant contribution by recording a club-record 21 clean sheets. The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper now wants the Sea Robbers to establish themselves as consistent champions rather than celebrate a single title-winning campaign.

“You’ve seen what we have built over the years and it’s not going to stop now. Winning is a culture at Orlando Pirates. We are going into every game expecting and working hard to win,” said Chaine.

Pirates’ success in the league last season also brought an end to Mamelodi Sundowns’ eight-year dominance of the competition.

Chaine believes the club’s winning mentality, which has already delivered four MTN8 triumphs in a row, should now be applied to the league. He said the championship was no longer unfamiliar territory for Pirates and that their ambition was to repeat the achievement as often as possible.

“Even the league title is no longer an unfamiliar territory for us, so the aim is to do it again and again, like we have done with the MTN8.”

However, Chaine accepts that defending the title will present a different challenge. Pirates will now be judged against the level they set themselves last season, while their opponents will be motivated to prevent them from retaining the championship.

“We know that it’s going to take a lot because every season is different and, now that we’ve won it, it will be even harder because it’s much easier to chase than to maintain when you are at the top … It’s the most difficult thing because the reference has to be yourself and what you want to do more.”

Pirates’ immediate focus is on the MTN8, with their next match coming against Durban City in the quarter-finals at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00.

The fixture provides Pirates with an opportunity to continue their impressive record in the competition, where they have won the MTN8 four times consecutively. Chaine’s comments underline the club’s broader objective of making success in both domestic competitions a sustained part of its identity.

The goalkeeper’s clean-sheet record was an important part of Pirates’ league-winning campaign, and his form helped the club secure the title after more than a decade without one. The challenge now is to reproduce that consistency while dealing with the increased pressure that comes with being champions.

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