Patrick Maswanganyi says Bahrain move was driven by need for peace, not money

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi says his decision to leave the club was motivated by a need to find peace and rebuild his confidence, rather than earn more money.

The 28-year-old joined Bahrain club Al Khaldiya SC two months ago in a move that came as a surprise. He said he had wanted to leave Orlando Pirates for some time, including during Jose Riveiro’s final season in charge.

Maswanganyi told the South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA) on Monday night that discussions about his departure had begun two seasons earlier.

“I’ve always asked the chairman for me to leave the club because I felt like it was the right moment for me to leave, and we spoke about it for a very long time about me leaving the club,” he said.

“And I felt that was going to help me in terms of me being myself and also me being able to regain my confidence, because sometimes I would feel really down and I always had to explain to them I wish to play for another team.

“I needed to be in a space where I felt I could be myself again and also, I needed peace, I was looking for peace in which way when I was in SA, I couldn’t have, but I needed peace, that’s why I went there.”

The midfielder said criticism on social media had also affected his family, with some members wanting him to stop playing football.

“Everyone knows that I was under a lot of pressure, not really pressure but my family was suffering from the comments that I was getting from [social] media. So they would see those kinds of things and they wanted me to quit football. But for me it was something whereby I would understand because I’m a football player, these things happen. But for them it was really tough.

“I had to make sure that my family is protected from all those things. I just felt like that if I would move far away from the country, things would get better in terms of their [mental] health.”

Maswanganyi rejected the suggestion that financial considerations had prompted his move to Bahrain.

“It wasn’t because of getting [more] money. If I wanted more money from Pirates, I would have gotten more money because I would have asked the chairman. You know, but it wasn’t even about the money.”

He also spoke about his relationship with former coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, saying they remained on good terms before Maswanganyi left Orlando Pirates.