Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro joins Patrick Maswanganyi-Jomo Sono debate - 'Tito is a different animal'

Jomo Sono sparked debate when he said he cannot be compared to Patrick Maswanganyi, calling himself an elephant while the Buccaneers star was labelled an ant.

That has attracted debate by fans and Orlando Pirates coach Joase Riveiro has made known his feelings on the issue.

“Tito loves to play football,” said Riveiro as per iDiski Times.

“Tito is a different animal when he’s on the field. It’s where he can express himself and show the best of himself. 

“When you have players like him, who always want to be on the ball, which for me is something to highlight because it doesn’t matter what happens on the field – if we need a goal if we need two, we are losing a final, he’s one of the players who always want the ball," the Spaniard added.

“That’s why sometimes it’s also in the tough side of the game, when we think about he’s losing the ball or he’s not losing the ball, they are kicking him or not, he’s diving or not diving, it’s that kind of stuff, it’s because he always want that responsibility. 

“And in that period that you mentioned before [around Jomo’s comments], it was exactly the same, so that makes me feel that he feels the support already without even talking about it.  “But he’s a boy who just wants to be on the field and play football.”

Maswanganyi is currently in camp with Bafana Bafana and it is an opportunity for him to show his worth on the international stage.

With Themba Zwane out injured, Maswanganyi is expected to fill in the void left by the Mamelodi Sundowns captain.

Since making his Bafana debut in March, Maswanganyi has yet to shine in national team colours and that is something he would be keen on correcting.

Bafana travel to Uganda to face the Cranes in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday.

It is a crucial match in which South Africa need just a point to qualify for Afcon and this is a perfect opportunity for Maswanganyi to prove his worth.