Mntambo praises Maswanganyi for preserving ‘kasi flavour’ at Orlando Pirates

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Linda Mntambo has praised Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi for refusing to abandon his distinctive style of play despite criticism during his time at the club.

Maswanganyi has left Orlando Pirates to join Bahraini Premier League side Al-Khaldiya SC after a spell in which he helped the club win one league title and numerous cup competitions.

The attacking midfielder divided opinion among supporters because of his willingness to showboat and regularly attempt expressive dribbles. However, Mntambo believes Maswanganyi should depart with his head held high after remaining loyal to the qualities that made him stand out.

“He brought kasi flavour, something some of us had to let go during our days. Some of us were dribblers but when we turned professional we had to tweak our game and leave a lot of the flair out,” said Mntambo.

“It stayed with him and that shows how true he was to himself by not changing how he played and what made him tick. With that, he must be applauded because few players get to Orlando Pirates and [manage to] keep to who they are.

Mntambo said Maswanganyi’s approach placed him in a tradition of Pirates players who continued to express themselves despite facing criticism.

“You will have to go back to players like Thabo Rakgale, Thabo Qalinge and Khethokwakhe Masuku. All those players faced criticism but he [Maswanganyi] continued and stuck to how he plays football.

The former Pirates player also highlighted the influence Maswanganyi could have on matches, arguing that his confidence and flair affected both opponents and team-mates.

“He understood that he makes the team tick; when the team is low he is the one to climb on top of the ball. Fans don’t necessarily understand what that does to your teammates and the opponents.

“It intimidates opponents and gets the fans going and loud and gets your teammates on the front foot.”

Mntambo said Maswanganyi’s self-belief was sometimes wrongly interpreted as arrogance, but regarded it as an important part of the player’s character.

“He has done incredibly well for himself and he can be proud of the time he spent at Pirates. Tito was one of my favourite players at Pirates and I loved his arrogance and aggression on the field.

“Most of the time people mistake him for being arrogant but it goes with the confidence he has. In life, too much confidence is sometimes mistaken for arrogance.”

Maswanganyi’s contribution was recognised by Orlando Pirates supporters during the club’s 2-0 Premiership victory over Sekhukhune United at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night. Fans displayed a placard expressing their appreciation for the departing player.

Mntambo said the gesture would have made clear to Maswanganyi how highly he was regarded by the Pirates support.

“He stamped his authority, made a mark for himself and the fans showed in the game against Sekhukhune United [Pirates’ 2-0 Premiership win at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night where supporters showed a placard in appreciation of Maswanganyi] that they appreciate him.

“If he didn’t know that Pirates supporters love him, he could see from wherever he was watching that he meant a lot to them.

“I sent him a message and wished him the best in his journey.”