Patrick Maswanganyi reveals family urged him to leave Orlando Pirates over cyberbullying

Former Orlando Pirates favourite Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi says the abuse he received on social media became so intense that his family wanted him to leave South African football.

Maswanganyi, who now plays for Bahrain top-flight club Al Khaldiya, made the disclosure during an exclusive interview with the South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA) last night.

He said his family had grown tired of seeing the insults directed at him online, while he had also reached a point where he needed distance from the pressure surrounding his career in South Africa.

Since joining Al Khaldiya after leaving Orlando Pirates towards the end of August, Maswanganyi has played four matches in the Asian Champions League Two. He said his priority after the move was to find the peace he had been unable to achieve locally.

“I’ve always asked the chairman to leave the club because I felt like it was the right moment while I was feeling down. I thought that a new move would help me discover my confidence again, and I felt that Bahrain offered me the best opportunity,” Maswanganyi said.

The midfielder also explained that the possibility of leaving Orlando Pirates had been discussed for some time with one of the club’s leaders, Mpumi Khoza. By the time the opportunity to move to Bahrain arrived, he said, making the decision was not difficult.

Maswanganyi’s comments come as footballers and other public figures continue to speak about cyberbullying. He said those experiencing similar treatment should not allow online criticism to define them, while acknowledging that dealing with such abuse can be difficult.

“I always tell my teammates who might be going through something similar that they need to be patient with themselves, and to not think about all the negativity on social media because most of the time those people who type bad things are the same people who want to take pictures with you when they meet you. This is normal.”

He said the experience could ultimately help people become stronger, but stressed the importance of giving themselves time to recover from the negativity.

Maswanganyi was reunited with his former club last week when he returned to the Orlando Amstel Arena to watch Orlando Pirates. He said he enjoyed being back at the stadium to see his former team, despite having moved on from the club at the end of August.

His transfer to Al Khaldiya has given him the opportunity to continue his career away from the environment that had contributed to his decision to seek a change. The club’s involvement in the Asian Champions League Two has also provided him with a new competitive challenge in Bahrain.