Message sent to Irvin Khoza! Monnapule Saleng drama blamed for Orlando Pirates' failure to win Nedbank Cup, PSL & Caf Champions League - 'Different story'

Orlando Pirates icon Lucky Lekgwathi believes the Premier Soccer League side failed to win titles this season because of the drama around Monnapule Saleng.

Saleng has been ostracised from the Bucs setup following a rumoured dispute over his wages. The longstanding saga has now been blamed for the Bucs' failure to win a trophy, even when they enjoy a rich squad with options.

“In previous seasons, I have complained about the number of players in each position, but now you can see it," Lekgwathi told iDiski Times.

"For example, the defenders, Tapelo [Xoki] came in, he did good, when he’s out [Nkosinathi] Sibisi is there, and now [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi is bossing the backline, and we still have the likes of [Olisa] Ndah and [Innocent] Maela on the bench. I think there is competition, and a healthy one at that, in all the positions."

“The danger of having too many players in theam is that even the coach won’t be able to focus. The only thing I think almost ruined things was the [Monnapule] Saleng matter. If we didn’t have that issue, I think we’d be talking a different story because you’d know we have depth on the left and on the right," he added.

“Right now, if [Mohau] Nkota isn’t playing, I don’t know who is supposed to be in that position.”

Saleng last played for Pirates six months ago, and the off-pitch saga is one of the issues that the club has had to deal with.

At one point, former head coach Jose Riveiro was asked about the Saleng situation, but he did not answer the question.

Despite the saga, Pirates fought hard in the Caf Champions League and reached the semi-final, where they were dramatically eliminated by Pyramids FC in a high-octane showdown in Cairo.

In the PSL race, they pushed Mamelodi Sundowns in the title race but came up short again and finished second, as they did last season.

The Sea Robbers were unable to defend the Nedbank Cup as they were beaten by their fellow Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs. All these failures have now been blamed on one man and the saga surrounding his career at Pirates: Saleng.

A promising player, Saleng joined the Sea Robbers from Free State Stars ahead of the 2021/22 season and was named the Player's Player of the Season in 2022/23.

Given his potential, fans have been keen to see whether Saleng will come back after missing so many games in the season.

It is only Pirates' chairman Irvin Khoza who knows how he intends to solve this saga that has clouded the club's performance for sometime now.

Will he ever come back?